The clowns of the rock platform are the hermit crabs, the most common species at LHI being the Imperial hermit crab Calcinus imperialis. Hermit crabs are frequently observed tumbling over the rocks when disturbed, their tiny, banded legs projecting from beneath a wonderfully varied assortment of shells. These 'squatters' take up residence inside empty shells vacated by other sea creatures, and have even been seen to occupy those of the large land snails Placostylus, washed into the sea from the adjacent forests.
