A house for hermit crab

2. aie

AHouse for Hermit Crab

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

3. Timero move? aid HermitCrab one dayin January

“vero to higtorthislitdeshell”

Hehad fetsofeand snugin hill sense.
ermtCrahteppedout of sill andonto theflonrof the aces
Butitwasigheningoutsncheopen seawrithoutashellto hide in
“whatifahigfish comes along and attack me he thought.

5. Imp March, Hermit Crab metsome sea anemones

‘They swayed gently back and orth nthewater
ow beautiful you are!” said Hermit Crab.

some fn belge and ire on my house?
isso plain needs you

come whispered axmallscaanemone.

Gently, Hermit Grab picked tap with hiselaw
and paréron she

6. In Api, Hermit Crab pasted a flockof star
along he seafloor

dome you are! said Hermit Crab,
Ms

7. InMay HermicCrabdiscoveredsomecoral._ | “Iwould,*creahed acroscycoral.
Theywerehard,anddidntmone. | Ginger Hermit Crab picked up with his

How prety youaresaidMermitCrah, | And placed iron isabel
would onnofyen hewiingtohc
make house more beat

8. In dung termitCrab came oa group ofsnallseravlingener
Atockonthe ocean lor hey grazedasteywemt pickingup
tac abit of debris and leas ies path behind them,
tr y andhardor
noldone af youbew
1wouldolfcretone ofthesnails

Happy, MesmitCrab picked up isa
and plied ton she.

yuan! aid
ocomeand heipeican my house?”

14. 1007 answered Lermit Crab,
some olive here
Ibe good to mr ends

15. “Thefollowing January
Hermit Crab steppedoutandtheliee crab moved in.

*Coudttstayin that ite shell fore”

said Hermit Crabashewaved gode

‘Me ocean Noor looked wider
shan he had remember,
ut Hermit Crab wast fr.
Suonhespindthe pertect house
big, empty shell. Ilooked, well,
alle plain. but

“sponges! he hough.
“Barnacles! Clown Fish! Sand dollars! Flectriccel!
Ohi there reso many possibilities!

Teantsatto getstartea™

16. ‘Sea Anemanes may look ik lower, but they are soft animals (polyps)
without bony skeletons. They come in many haposand colors With heir
‘many arms (tentacles) they catch their prey Some spectaliveinatuching
themselvestothe shell ofthe hermiterah Then hey proteetand
camouflage the hermitcrab, and, in ur, may share she heemicerabs
‘meals Thisarrangement sailed symbiosis, meaning hat both ani
benefit from each other.

Starfah. There are many kinds ofstarfish.Moschavefivearmegeowing
From a central disk. The mouth olastarfishinon heunderside of his disk,
andit hasasingle simpleeseomtheendofeach arm. With its powerful
[armsiccanopen anoysinr orholdontoa rock duringa storm when the
‘waveslash about.

(Coratsare somewhat similar totiny ca ancmonenthat build hard
‘skeletons round themselves. hen hundreds and hundreds of them stick
‘together forming whole colonies. Somo lok ke branches othersare
round or diste, Milions upon milions fusethemscvestogethorto
Build le lung coral vecs Some, however Evry themselves.

Snail. thereareapproximatcly 80,000spexiesof snails and slugs Some
romand otherslivein the scan Lakes, Some carryashell-their
“houses on theirbacks others have none hell comen man colors
and shapes.
Sea Urchins, Some aretatand ound, others are thin and spindly Many
have longspines (sometimes poisonaus) with which they move around and
‘igintothe mud orrocksor other places Their mouths, with ve pointed
teeth, areon he underside.
Later like Fireflies have luminous orlight-prodacing spots
bodies that light up eheirdark surroundings Some lomernfishhave a
lantermlike organ that danglesin front of her mouths, ateractingother
Fish which hecomesheir prey.

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