Crab Tool Use

Humans have for many years seen themselves as the only animals that actively use tools in their lives - and it’s true that we certainly use the most.

But many other animals have been observed making use of tools as an important part of their lives.

The Decorator Crab is one such animal - although the name actually refers to a whole grouping of crabs rather than a specific species.

Decorator crabs typically attach sedentary animals like sponges or plants to their shells as a form of camouflage. Some crabs will also attach poisonous animals to their shells to help protect them from predators.

These crabs are clearly aware in some sense of the properties of these tools, and how best to use them.

In 1889, English biologist William Bateson noted of these crabs that "the whole proceeding is most human and purposeful" - and we couldn’t agree more.

Pictured is the Loxorhynchus crispatus or Masking crab.