Crabs Trade Shells in the Strangest Way | BBC Earth 

Last crab: “Can’t have shit in Detroit.”

Imagine swapping apartments with someone only to get a shittier version of your apartment.

i just hope the smallest crab is living his best life right now because he did NOT deserve that disrespect 😭

How did all these hermit crabs know when and where to meet? This is insane, they must be a lot smarter than they get credit for

First time seeing a crab without its shell. Felt like I had to close my eyes or something, like staring att someone naked.

*"Let's all get naked and trade homes!"* Nature's wild

Seeing animals doing human things like lining up by size and trading is just so fascinating

Knowing humans do crabby things like lining up by size and trading is just so fascinating.

the last crab: "i will never financially recover from this."

I can hear that small crab cursing

Every once in a while I come across this gem of a video again only to remember how MAD I am for the smallest crab every time 😭😭

I found a hermit crab at the beach today, and I saw it change shells with an empty one, and changed its mind and went back to the original one.

Last crab.. "I'm never going to financially recover from this."

Damn line cutters

I loved how they are looking for what really fits their size and not just seeking the largest size to impress anyone.

I'm here because of Ralph from FPS and I love it ❤

Low key got a bit tilted when they did my homie like that

Imagine going to a house viewing and someone gets the house before you then another person goes into your old house and changes the keys and you have to live in an even worse house

The crab who stole the shell from the last crab: I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it further.

friends per second podcast anyone?

Even crabs move in a more orderly fashion than Walmart shoppers.

Someone start a gofundme for that last crab

Me googling where Hermit Crabs live so I can go beat up that bully one at the end even tho it’s probably long dead by now 😭

"I really got screwed at the shell swap today"- that last crab to his wife

Last crab was like: "This has been the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever"

A gathering for crabs to swap homes. Well. that's kinda cute.

Anyone here from skill up?

I watched both my hermit crabs climb into new shells today for the first time. Safe to say it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed

Shell: washes out Crabs: IT'S FREE REAL ESTATE

This is why I could never film nature documentaries-I’d be out scouring the beach for seashells, making sure our boy got that penthouse suite.

I have hermit crabs. I've never seen them do this because I have plenty of shells available for them after they molt. However, hermit crabs love to socialize with other hermit crabs. I've seen mine cuddle with each other and it's the cutest thing ever. Hermit crabs can live for a VERY long time, depending on their living situations. They can also grow to be very big, depending on what type of hermit crab it is. Molting is when a hermit crab goes underneath the sand for a period of time (long or short) to shed their tight exoskeleton. Once they do that, they may or may not look for a new shell. It depends on how big the hermit crab had gotten before it shed it's exoskeleton. Fun fact: Hermit crabs store water in their shells! They have a little compartment where the water goes whenever they get thristy. (They aren't that great at keeping themselves clean, but they do dip themselves in the water and can stay in the water for a long time.) Another fun fact: Did you know you can actually see what sex a hermit crab is? If you flip it over and wait for it to come out of it's shell, there are these two dots on their thorax that tell you if it is a female or male! A thorax is a very very sensitive part of a hermit crab that is concealed by their shell. NEVER TOUCH A HERMIT CRABS THORAX! Hermit crabs also use their antenna to communicate! They also clean their eyes off from time to time, and it's the cutest thing ever. (They do not have eyelids.) Hermit crabs are very shy around other species, and often retreat into their shell when they feel threatened. This can also happen around other hermit crabs. I found some hermit crabs on the beach in Oregon a while ago, and decided to get some from the store. Do not underestimate the research and amount of money you will need to spend. Hermit crabs are very cheap, but their essentials are not. If you are debating getting a hermit crab, make sure to do the proper amount of research in order to be prepared. They make great pets. (FYI, they can die of stress. You can hold them but be warned, they may pinch you. Please try not to stress out your hermit crabs.)

It’s a good thing that when all the other hermit crabs got into a line from biggest to smallest, it didn’t take that long for the right sized crab to show up for the really big shell before they all started swapping the shells. That’s an amazing way for hermit crabs to exchange shells besides looking for one alone.

Biggest Crab: "It's free real estate." Tiny Crab: "Dis sum boolsheet."

That ending was a little too optimistic and wholesome, even tho the Crab just got GTA shell jacked.

Crabs like: hey guys new skin just dropped

I can’t believe i suffer for a moment by watching crabs

Last Crab: " my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined" 😭

"They form an orderly queue." Ah yes, the famous british crabs.

I can’t be the only one who thinks these hermit crabs are absolutely adorable, right?

I will never forget the first time I saw my hermit crab, Oscer (R.I.P), change shells. It was gross but it was also awesome. He ended up not liking the new one so I went out and got him some more, he loved those!

'But even a bad shell is better than being homeless. ' That slapped hard.

They arranged this on Crabslist.

That type of organized coordinated exchange is fascinating and very impressive to me...

I can’t believe I’m up at 2am watching hermit crabs find shells for their home 😂

Hermit Crab: **slaps roof of shell** This little baby has a bed, toilet, and external protection

Ain’t no way this crab got scammed at a shell meet up 😂

Ive never been so mad at a hermit crab in my life 😭

lol which came first? the shell or the crab? 😂

He went there for a better shell and literally left with a worse one. Thats crazy how life works

We need to make a charity for crabs that were scammed out of a good shell.

"strangest of way" Animals getting just what they need in a fair and communitarian way. Dang

This is hilarious and amazing, indeed. A salute to BBC Earth.

Last crab to the other crabs: “I am once again asking for your financial support”

Dang...the shell market is a tough market.

That’s why I never left my shell as a kid, The crab is my spirit animal.

this is so intelligent. every crab knew the Size of the property it needs to move in !! they all line up accordingly and claim the right size. it is amazing how they just gathered for the task - all at the same time !! how did all these crabs knew it was swapping time ? Do they send some kind of signal, do they make some kind of a sound to let the other crabs know of the event ???!!!

Imagine having to wait like half an hour for "Big Jimmy" to show up before you can move into a new house.

"They arrange themselves into an orderly queue" They're British crabs then.

I can relate to the small crab

I wonder what will happen to the 'I did a thing' metal shell

Smh it’s like someone parking in the spot you’ve been waiting for

Hermit crab sees abandoned shell: _its free real state_

bro got finessed

The crab:we live in a society

I think about that poor crab often, hope he's going well

These crabs are better at making a line then my 5th grade class.

"Shell lands of the sand" Every one: Gather around

Hermit crabs can form an orderly cue better than most humans😂😂😂

_"But even a bad shell is better than being homeless."_

Now I can't go collecting shells without thinking of this...a crab can't be homeless because of me

“Believe me, worst trade deal I’ve ever seen”

Who narrates these videos? I just love this man’s voice.

whispers *free real estate*

Even Hermit Crabs have "That Guy" among them

This is another level of organization and comparison. Who knew.

Just some crabs doing a real estate bussiness LOL

I grew up near a beautiful beach and my father used to teach me to collect empty shells and put them together near a secluded shade where crabs always hung out so they knew where to look for a new shell.

Big crab about to slip into biggest shell: You know what, on second thought, this shell isn't really my style. Other crabs: Dammit Bob! All of us waited hours for you to get here! Take the damn shell!

That crab got finessed

This is the best thing I’ve seen the entire day

The moral of the story. " a bad shell is better than homeless ".

I would gladly go to the store, buy a perfect big shell, drive and walk exactly where that crab is and donate it to him.

I cannot tell you how irrationally angry I am that this just popped up, I watched it, and my boy didn't get the new shell

Everyday I continue to be impressed by nature

i am so sad for the last crab. he found it, waited, and didn't even get a new shell. I do NOT need this kind of negativity in my life

at first i thought they were going to fight over their shells, but when they started trading I was like "OMG SO CUTE!"

That one crab who got violated hired a hitman afterwords I swear

I've seen this so many times and it never gets old. I watch it every time it pops up on my recommend.

I have never seen a naked crab and i dont like it...

Damn they did my boy dirty.

I can really feel that pain of the crab on my chest, poor dude just wanted a new home

The GOAT David Atingborough teaching us the crab knowledge we’ve all been waiting on.

Anyone else rooting for the smallest crab and then getting really upset when the narrator goes “and even worse, it has a HOLE in it”😭😭😭😭😭

This is the worst game of musical chairs ever.

probably my favorite clip. catchy music. a little underdog narrative created in the edting. cute animals.

Looks like a typical council house exchange.

natural for them but when I do it, I get arrested for "home invasion". smh

bruh they wrong fo that, did my little homie dirty in the end lol

I will never collect shells from the beach again . I never realised I was taking the home of these little fellows .

Wow, miracles of nature. At the end of the day, every crab went home happy, well that is their home...😂