[@Invader Len]
Was planning to write one, but the first two days of the contest were pretty busy for me, so I wasn't in much of a writing mood.

But now that I'm not so busy, I figure why the hell not.

So, yeah, I present you a fucking hermit crab.

[hider=Eremite]
[b]Scientific Name:[/b] Lapidem Domum
[b]Common name:[/b] Eremite, also occasionally refered to as Bouldrab in slang (shortened from 'boulder crab')
[b]Appearance:[/b] 
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[img]http://users.tpg.com.au/users/vanessap/hermit/images/pocky02_perlatus.jpg[/img]
(Like this, but huge and with a boulder on its back.)
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The Eremite can be quite simply described as a giant hermit crab. The average adult carapace length roughly ranges from 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) to 2 meters (6.5 feet), although outliers on both ends exist, with the largest recorded Eremite reaching a length of 4.67 meters (15.3 feet), and the smallest at 0.48 centimeters (1.57 feet). They are typically light brown or pale brown in colour, although rarer Eremites can be found in varying shades of red, with either dark brown or white spots all over their legs and claws. Their eyestalks are particularly long, often double the size of their claws, and have two dark ovals that are often mistaken for their eyes on the front of their head. Unlike regular hermit crabs, Eremite's have a distinct proclivity to using boulders and large rocks as their homes, as compared to shells.

[b]Biology:[/b] Eremite's can spend years searching the bottom of the ocean for the perfect rock for them to call home, and can spend an even equally long amount of time hollowing out the boulder with their razor sharp and powerful claws. They are known to be incredibly picky with their choice of home, needing to find one that will suit their specific size, but even then Eremite are occasionally known to not choose boulders that do fit their needs, the most accepted theory being that Eremite are drawn more towards certain speific colours of rocks. Only when they find and hollow out their boulder-home do they emerge from the ocean. From thereon, most Eremites are known to become essentially beach wayfarers, travelling between coastal regions until they near the end of their lifespan, wherein they usually return to the ocean to find a partner to mate with. Braver Eremite are even known to venture further inland, making sure to keep a supply of water in the back of their boulder, as they require the moisture to survive. This instinctive need to explore the world seems related to how Eremite can spend a vast portion of their life searching for the 'perfect' boulder, an impulse that seems to cross over when reaching land, despite not having anything specific to search for.

Like regular hermit crabs, Eremites are omnivorous and will eat basically anything at all, from vegetables to meat, fruit to plants, grass to decaying wood. No matter what it is, an Eremite will probably be able to eat it with little digestive issue, although they have a particular love of vegetables and sweets. That being said, an Eremite could easily go a couple weeks without needing to eat at all, depending on their size and how active they are. Many Eremite also store food within their boulders, although many are poor judges as to how long the food will keep fresh.

Unlike regular hermit crabs (which are not actually hermits, despite their namesake), Eremites are solitary creatures, to the point that most actively attempt to avoid each other on their travels. It has occasionally been observed that land Eremites, upon realising that they are close-by to another of their species, will just up and bolt away as fast as they can. It has been theorized that they fear the other Eremite will attempt to steal their home. While this does happen with hermit crabs, there has not been a recorded case of an Eremite stealing another's home, although this may be because of their relative rarity up on land. As Eremite sleep during the day, some people do not always realise that they are nearby one, although most people usually find a single, lone boulder lying in the middle of a beach to be suspicious and will avoid them. Whilst it is not common for Eremites to actively attack humans, they can be incredibly aggressive to any creatures that approachs or wakes them. Crushed and broken bones are a very common outcome of coming too close to an Eremite, especially younger Eremites.

Eremites can live exceptionally long lives, albeit with wild variance. The oldest (known) living Eremite is estimated to be 324 years old, and is still roaming the coastline (he was also affectionately given the nickname 'Grumpy Geezer' by those studying him, or just 'Grumpy'). Considering Eremites return to the ocean to find mates when nearing their death, it is unknown how much longer Grumpy will continue on. Through this, it can also be shown that older Eremites are less naturally aggressive than their younger counterparts. Zoologists found that they could easily approach Grumpy with little more than a mildly threatening raising of the claw. Overwise the average life expectancy of Eremites sits at around 250 years, with many returning to the ocean roughly a few years before their deaths.

[b]Diurnal or Nocturnal:[/b] Nocturnal

[b]Habitat:[/b] 'Homeless' Eremites live exclusively in the ocean. Eremite's with homes will travel to any coastal area (particularly beaches) that are not overly populated. They prefer more humid areas, but can survive in most environments as long as they have water stored in their boulder. Most land Eremite temporarily return to the ocean during Winter if the climate proves too cold.

[b]Strengths:[/b]
-- Considering that they carry around literal boulders that they hollowed out with their own claws, Eremite's are known to have ridiculous claw and leg strength that would not have any difficulty crushing any bones it got its claws on. 
-- Eremites can run at rather surprising speeds. Whilst an adult human would easily be able to outrun an Eremite on hard ground, not many people expect a creature carrying a boulder to move as fast as it can, and can be caught off guard when it does. There is also taking into account that it is much harder for a person to run in sand, whilst Eremites have no such difficulty.
-- Eremites are not always easily noticable. Whilst they may occasionally attempt to 'hide' in the middle of an open beach, the more clever ones will sleep amongst rock banks, or dig into the sand so the boulder appears smaller than it is, or at the least, more naturally placed.

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
-- Whilst their legs and claws are incredibly solid, their abdomens are a soft and thin exoskeleton that is easily pierced. While this helps for attacking 'homeless' Eremites, getting an Eremite out of its boulder is virtually impossible, making places to attack them rather limited. 
-- If you do manage to identify a Eremite hiding in its boulder, it is, in theory, not particularly difficult to trap them as long as you do not make much noise and wake them.
-- Loud noises. Go to a beach and let off a megahorn. Most Eremite will instantly bolt off, and become disorientated if the noise is close to them.

[b]Misc:[/b] The rarer smaller Eremites were heavily sought after as pets by those rich enough to afford them. This sparked a large media controversy roughly 15 years ago over whether it was cruel to deprive a heavily nomadic creature from being able to travel, and as a result making Eremites pets was classified as animal abuse. This was also considering Eremites in captivity tended to live far smaller lives, with their usual long life-span shortening to at least a tenth of they would normally be capable of.
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EDIT: I also just noticed I forgot to mention [@The Errorist] again in my last IC post.
hahaha
heh

goddammit