Predator-Prey Interactions of Hermit Crabs and Sea Stars of the Salish Sea

Abstract

Hermit crabs will react with greater evasive maneuvers to larger sea stars than they will to smaller sea stars in a twenty minute timeframe. This will be studied using six Pagurus sp. Hermit crabs collected on San Juan island and three species of sea stars collected from San Juan island: Evasterias troschelii, Mediaster aequalis, and Crossaster papposus.