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3D Printers To Save Hermit Crabs

Posted by timothy on from the everyone-has-priorities dept.

Shareable writes "Makerbot just launched Project Shellter, which will leverage the Makerbot community's network of 5,000 3D printers to make shells for hermit crabs — which face a species-threatening, man-made shell shortage (they inhabit abandoned shells)."

5 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Real problem? by sakdoctor · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is there any evidence that this is a real problem, as opposed to an art project, PR stunt, or whatever?

    1. Re:Real problem? by steelframe · · Score: 4, Interesting

      When my wife and I were in Fiji years ago she would set the nice shells she had collected that day out on the deck to dry out. In the morning the shells was scattered and the best were always gone. It was like a crab used car lot where they drive in with a Pinto and leave with a Porsche. A one stop shop that I'm sure the crabs appreciated.

  2. Re:From TFA by TexNex · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hermit crabs will live in anything they can get their ass into and fully hide under. I've seen them "wear" bottle tops and in one case a plastic cup.

  3. Re:From TFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is true I had a pet hermit crab when I was younger and we couldn't find a shell big enough for it so I put one of my plastic toys in the cage with it and it took up residence in it the same day. Although, I have to admit that unless these crabs are in the wild it doesn't really matter because hermit crabs do not require a shell to survive it is only used for pretection from preditors. My hermit crab went without a shell for quite a while before I put a toy in the tank with it.

  4. Re:3D Printing to Save Wall Street by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Plastic is an organic compound and will break down a lot faster than the mineral structure of "natural" seashells.
    What we consider to be unpleasant but non-toxic waste does not necessarily have to be bad for the sea-life.
    For example a car-wreck dumped into the ocean can make a great substitute for coral reefs.