Boxer crabs hold sea anemones in their claws like pom-poms—but they’re not cheering! The two critters have a symbiotic relationship: boxer crabs use anemones’ stinging cells for defense, while anemones feed on particles from the crabs’ meals. If a...

Boxer crabs hold sea anemones in their claws like pom-poms—but they’re not cheering! The two critters have a symbiotic relationship: boxer crabs use anemones’ stinging cells for defense, while anemones feed on particles from the crabs’ meals. If a foe gets near a boxer crab, the crab will wave its anemone-covered claws and try to shoo it away. Scientists also think that the anemones provide the crab with a form of camouflage. Another wild fact: if a boxer crab loses an anemone on one of its claws, it will tear a piece of anemone from its other claw, inducing asexual reproduction and cloning a new piece for its bare claw.
Photo: © Yisrael Schnytzer from @pbsnature
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uv_XMgEJo/?igshid=rel0w881xw2l

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