“Test drive...”

When contemplating a new vehicle, it becomes very important for one to check out all the nooks and crannies, features and amenities, and for good measure, a proverbial kick of the tires to ensure all is up to snuff. After all, travelling in one’s old and trusted vehicle for so long, one comes to depend upon certain eccentricities entrained in that vehicle that have certainly had some part in developing that person’s sense of self. Although a new vehicle may seem enticing if for nothing else than that it is new, careful checks of the entire perimeter and interior must be made to ensure that the fit will be comfortable and appropriate for the many journeys to be embarked upon in the future. And so this is the process that Denielle witnessed on the beach last night while I was out in the water; the elusive transfer of shells for a hermit crab.

She described the process to me in great detail on our drive home from the rocky point break in the dark, and I smiled, picturing a prospective home owner or purveyor of a new car at the dealership engaging in many of the same behaviours. This hermit crab whilst trudging along the beach in the late evening light of a dwindling sunset had the good fortunes of encountering an uninhabited snail shell. You see, the hermit crabs do not produce their own shells, but borrow those shells washed up along the beach until their own growth necessitates the upgrade to a larger model. So this particular crab, perhaps unsatisfied with the features in its current shell model, proceeded to circle the other shell a number of times, probably looking for dents and dings, or other make-haste repair jobs that would indicate the general quality of the shell. The initial exterior examination looked good, so the crab lined up its current shell opening with the opening in the vacant shell, and made the brief walk across and inside to the new digs.

At this point the real test drive began. As the crab picked up the shell and made a few cursory steps, practiced some emergency evasive manoeuvres, the kind you are familiar with when you go to pick up a hermit crab, and put on some distance in the new shell. A couple more quick movements and interior checks, then back in line with the original shell to transfer over. Apparently a lot is riding on a decision of this magnitude as the crab seemed to ponder over the decision for quite some time. Circling the new shell in its old model a couple more times, the decision became final, this new shell was not going to cut it, so the crab went on its merry way and left the shell for another, perhaps less critical, crab to find in the future.

Tyler.