Shell collectors are leaving hermit crabs homeless.
Beautiful shells are an attraction to many, but empty shells are actually little condos and they are not usually empty for long. Hermit crabs rely on them and if they can't find enough shells, they turn to plastic trash.
In fact, one afternoon, photographer Shawn Miller noticed hermit crabs using plastic caps as homes on an Okinawa beach. The adaptation fascinated — and saddened — him. After he started posting photos of the plastic-cap crabs, people started sending him shells.
Now he has a new job. He marks each donated shell with MTS4N (Make The Switch 4 Nature) plus a number. He is up to about 800 marked shells.
