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Terrestrial Hermit Crabs Learning Social Tricks
An anonymous reader writes "When it comes to abandoned snail shells that hermit crabs expropriate as mobile homes, size matters, for room to grow, room for eggs, and protection from predators. UC Berkeley evolutionary biologist Mark Laidre found that terrestrial hermit crabs on the Pacific shore of Costa Rica congregate in aggressive swap meets where one crab is forced from a relatively large shell, whereupon the rest trade up (one loser and multiple winners, pretty good odds). The loser gets the smallest shell, which means likely doom. Laidre and his colleagues note that most hermit crabs live in the ocean, where there are usually enough abandoned shells to go around so most can live, well, hermit-like lives without much interaction with fellow crabs. Not so on land, at least in Costa Rica."
For a second there, I thought the biology tag said biography, and I got really scared. You don't need to know about my tricks yet.
What do we want?
SLIGHTLY LARGER SHELLS!
When do we want them?
WHENEVER THREE OR MORE OF US CONGREGATE!!
We all know the big hermit crab didn't work any harder for his shell, he was just in the right place at the right time.
Hermit crabs are the animal kingdom’s most dickish neighbors
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Their swarm computing article (pdf link in the journal Complex Systems) is rather interesting.
Somewhat like social security. Each generation creates a larger shell, only to have the largest one ripped away from them by current retires when social security collapses. At the end of which, the current workforce get the remaining scraps.
Most likely either that, or he banded together with other hermit crabs earlier to kick another one out of it.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Everyone knows if you turn a few 'social' tricks you stand a good chance of getting crabs.
I used to go to Costa Rica during the winters when I was a kid, and I loved watching the hermit crabs. There are TONS of them there. All over the beaches. Crawling in the sand going down to the beach. I actually watched them hijacking shells from each other (although I'd play the good guy and get their shells back sometimes).
A stronger crab with a small damaged shell was trying to pry out a weaker one with new shell. He was probably weak from days of siege. I had to apply quite some force to tear them apart. After a brief isolation under toy buckets I set them free and the stronger crab jumped on his prey again, this time literally getting his foot in the door (they use the larger claw as a door).
There is a nice beach restaurant in Samara, Costa Rica, that I can recommend if you want to see them congregate in huge numbers, right on the sandy restaurant floor.
Question is - does the losing crab get even later on, starting a crab inter-familial feud that escalates into crab war?
Only then can they fully appreciate the lows of human nature.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
http://slashdot.org/story/01/03/16/1256226/scientologists-force-comment-off-slashdot
SJWs are the new boogeyman. -Me
We are envious of what you have acquired, therefore we'll all team up and seize it.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Lets all vote on who gets kicked out of their shell so the rest of society can get an upgrade. That damn 1% doesn't deserve the largest shell.
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
It's like nature's musical chairs... OF DEATH!
Taking the first step towards pervasive censorship always sounds so benevolent since free speech will always be used in some difficult to endure ways, but I would rather have a website full of racists and trolls than lose that free speech. There are plenty of other websites out there where the powers decide what you can and cannot say, The Escapist is a good example of a heavily policed site where goodthink prevails, but I doubt you'll draw much traction on Slashdot. However I fully support your right to express your belief on this forum.
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
He didn't build that! A snail did.
Was it removed? NO.
Caved my ass.
Did you see their response to the DMCA takedown request? The copyrighted data in question was removed from the site itself, and a long explanation, that wonderfully explained the DMCA, Scientology, its greatest and most vocal opponent on the Internet at the time, and how to fight against laws like this was put in its place.
The specific data, OT III, was made available in legal ways and even more attention was garnered than before. Streisand effect wonderfully executed.
I would agree with you if the comment was simply removed and /. acted like it never existed. Far from it...
Does the SEC know of this?
Reminds me of what's happening in Paris, as the super-rich are fleeing to neighboring countries ahead of the upcoming 75% tax. This is causing the prices of luxury Paris homes to decline in value, allowing the less-affluent to afford them, who then sell their former homes to people further down and... well, you get the idea.
:)
Now, if those crabs were here in the U.S., 99% of the crabs would be stuck in the same size shell for the past 20 years while a couple of crabs had gargantuan shells (as well as many "vacation" shells on a variety of coasts). But at least they'd be creating jobs for the other crabs... by having them clean their spare shells or something.