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Mediterranean hermit crab (Dardanus arrosor) is a species from the family Diogenidae, distributed in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, including the coast of Montenegro. It is a relatively large hermit crab species, whose body without the shell can reach up to about 10 cm in length. The posterior part of the body is soft and asymmetrical and lives inside an empty gastropod shell, most often the shell of the giant tun snail. The body is usually dark red to brown in color, and the legs and claws are covered with small spines and hairs. The claws are unequal in size, with the left one being larger and stronger. This species is especially well known for its symbiosis with sea anemones, most commonly Calliactis parasitica, which it carries on its shell. The anemones provide protection, while the crab enables them to move and gain easier access to food. Research has confirmed that hermit crabs carrying sea anemones on their shells have a significantly higher chance of surviving encounters with octopuses, their main predators. It has also been shown that the presence of octopuses in the habitat encourages the establishment of the association between the crab and the anemones. As the crab grows and changes shells, it actively transfers the anemones from the old shell to the new one, maintaining this beneficial symbiosis. It lives on sandy, rocky, or mixed bottoms, from shallow waters down to depths of about 50 meters, and feeds on the remains of dead organisms, small invertebrates, and algae, playing an important role in cleaning the seabed.

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