Same here. I never thought to look nor to note the species of shell they inhabit nor the handedness. I may have an opportunity to do that here this summer, if I remember to create a bench/field sheet that includes fields for shell species, handedness, hermit species. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the small individuals, though. -----Original Message----- From: Doug Stemke [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 6:28 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Is there "handedness" in Hermit Crabs? This is an observation I should have made when I was living in Texas where left-handed Busycon perversum were common. Hermit crabs inhabit both Dextral and Sinistral shells. I was wondering however if individual hermit crabs have a preference for the "handedness" of their shells. Will a hermit crab in a sinistral Busycon redidly switch to a dextral shell (or vise versa)? Are there any species of hermit crabs specific to one handedness? Just wondering. Thanks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------