In yet another story of man made materials being used to better the lives of other species.
The Hand Up Project: Attempting to Meet the New Needs of Natural Life-Forms
Many Hermit Crabs have shells which are to small for their needs and resort to using refuse if they cannot find a suitable shell. The Hand Up Project proposes to meet this need by building artificial shells and dispersing them on appropriate beaches for the crabs to find and inhabit.
“The use of plastic in manufacturing these new homes is key. This material affords the crab an almost ideal dwelling. Being much lighter than calcium carbonate, these new houses do not take as much energy to carry during locomotion. Plastic is also structurally strong, which affords large areas of internal space in the new structures. This results in the greater internal volume-to-weight ratio that the crab prefers. Of additional benefit is the longevity of this material coupled with the way these crabs recycle and share their shelters. Due to the fact that plastic is non-biodegradable, these new forms may potentially outlast the life-span of the crab itself, thereby assuring many generations access to additional hand-me-down housing.”
