When one thinks of "designing a habitat for an animal" we usually think of zoo displays or fish tanks ... but can you imagine designing a shell for a crab? That is exactly what artist Elizabeth Demaray did. With the assistance of a paleontologist and a mechanical engineer, Demaray has fabricated man-made shells for hermit crabs, called the "Hand-Up" project. These structures are actually better for the crabs than nature-made shells, as they provide more internal space and less weight. The crab boxes are made out of plastic which will not split, chip or crack as easily as the nacre shells the crabs usually use.

Think this sounds frivolous? Absolutely not! Hermit crabs have soft back-ends, which are protected by the shells they crawl into and carry around. They need these shells to survive, otherwise they are easily eaten by

predators. Hermit crabs are currently experiencing a housing shortage due to global pollution and human shell collectors. There are simply not enough sea shells left for this species to inhabit.

"I am currently designing these structures to better fit the animal's needs and the architecture of its form. It is the aim of this project to make die injection molds so that the houses are mass producible in large quantities in plastic. It is our desire to secure corporate funding for this process which would also allow us to put a small corporate logo on each house before it is placed in the

wild. The ultimate aim of this work is to offer this species help while at the same time emphasizing the contemporary plight of natural life forms everywhere."

Imagine ... putting non-biodegradable materials into the wild that actually help a species propagate instead of decimating them.

For more info, email elizdemaray@mindspring.com