Hermit Crabs

The Hermit Crabs are characters that appear in the 2016 Disney/Pixar animated short Piper.
==Background==
Most of the hermit crabs seen in Piper are shown with a red coloration on their body, black eyes located on their stalks, and orange conch shells, which they wear on their body. In addition to living on the sand, they are also shown to be inhabiting on small flat rock formations as seen in the beginning of the short, showing that they also adapt on living on rocks. They are also shown to use their shells for protection to protect themselves from incoming tides such as the one seen during the climax of the film. Like the sandpipers, they are also capable of finding clams they are also capable of finding clams to eat as well as helping Piper conquer her fear of the tide.
==Role in the short==
The hermit crabs are first seen in the background crawling on a rock while a group of sandpipers are rushing to get food. When Piper returns back to the shoreline, hides behind a rock, and suddenly notices the tide rising again while hiding behind some dry seaweed she notices some hermit crabs scurry to the shoreline, followed by a smaller-sized hermit crab that approaches her. As the small hermit crab and the two others hide in their shells to protect themselves from the tide, Piper realizes that they can protect themselves from the waves using their shells.
Furthermore, Piper approaches the small hermit crab interacting with clams just before the large waves arrives. Piper then follows what the hermit crabs did when the tide rises as she and the other three hermit crabs hide into the sand when another wave approaches. Meanwhile underwater, the tiny hermit crab wakes up Piper as she discovers several clams on the sand. As the tide goes down, Piper has finally conquered her hydrophobia as she thanks the tiny hermit crab for helping her. The hermit crabs later watch Piper deliver the oysters for the sandpipers and her mother in joy as Piper became confident, thanks to their advice which they happily notice of what she did.
==Trivia==
*According to director Alan Barillaro in the audio commentary introduction in Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 3, he compared the friendship between Piper and the hermit crab to the friendship between real-life rhinos and oxpeckers.
*On March 26, 2023, a giant chocolate Easter egg depicting Piper and her hermit crab companion was displayed at the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in preparation for Easter, alongside several other giant chocolate Easter eggs.
==Gallery==
PIED SANDPIPER.png|Hermit crabs on the "Pied Sandpiper" badge in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode
==References==
Category:Pixar characters
Category:Crustaceans
Category:Animated characters
Category:Marine Animals
Category:Silent characters