Lab 11
Animal Behavior
Description of the Lab
Students will investigate hermit crab shell acquisition behavior. They will use what they
Laboratory Materials and Equipment for Student Use
Materials and Equipment
Per
Student
Per Pair of
Students
Per Lab
Group
Per
Room
Observation arenas
1
holding crabs
observation
arena
range of empty gastropod shells
including preferred and non-species
4-5
non-shell object of similar size and
1
weight as home shell
corks off appropriate size for
blocking shell apertures
plastic film
1 50-75
m roll
forceps
1
gloves
1
stop watch
1
balance for weighing shells
calcite
sea water (28-30 ppt)
additional materials to be discussed
with instructor
Fresh live materials
Hermit crab (local species
3
other organisms at determined by
instructor
Questions:
Outline of Investigation
Exercise 1 – Learning to Recognize and Describe Behavior
Materials needed:
• Hermit crabs (minimum 1 per group)
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52
Exercise 2- Can a Hermit Crab Find its Shell Visually?
Materials needed:
• Hermit crabs (minimum 1 per group)
• Observation arenas (glass or plastic containers)
• Substrate material (sand or small-scale aquarium gravel)
Exercise 3 – Can a Hermit Crab Find a Buried Shell?
Materials needed:
• Hermit crabs (minimum 1 per group)
• Observation arenas (glass or plastic containers)
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53
• Forceps
• Gloves
Note: If the size of the hermit crab shell and the materials available are prohibitive
for burying you can substitute a block of aragonite or calcite in the arena to see if the
Exercise 4 – Designing Your Own Experiment
Materials needed:
• Additional materials for independent experiment to be discussed with instructor
Answers to Questions for Lab 11