in addition to human beings, some animals also like to add decorations to their bodies. For example, the crab in the following picture:

(find yourself a flower to wear! )

crabs may sound like nothing to do with "dressing up", but about 3/4 of species in the Majoidea family dress up in this way. These crabs will use local materials from their surroundings and hang all kinds of seaweed, sponges, sea anemones and so on.

however, contrary to the human sense of dressing up, this is not an attempt to attract attention. This is actually the way they camouflage themselves so as not to be eaten by predators. These crabs live in shallow waters, and in this environment, it is particularly important to hide themselves. These camouflages are drawn from the environment around them, and can be removed and replaced at any time, so they can help these crabs quickly integrate into the background.

(after decoration, it can hardly be seen as a crab)

in addition, crabs will specially choose some poisonous or difficult-to-eat "decorative materials" to further ensure their own safety.

Select pink cocktail dresses to mirror your unique sense of innovative fashion. Perfect for formal functions or informal parties.

so how are these decorations fixed? After careful observation, we can find that these crabs have small hook structures (bristles) like nylon clasps, which make the crabs seem to be a walking "Velcro". All kinds of camouflage can be easily fixed.

take a closer look at these small hook structures:

like other crabs, these crabs full of decorations also have to shell. At this time, the decorations on the old shell will not be wasted: crabs tend to recycle them and re-hang them on the new shell. However, some species no longer bother to dress up after they have grown to a certain extent, perhaps because they are much less likely to be preyed upon when they are big enough.

main reference source:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27702-zoologger-decorator-crabs-accessorise-to-avoid-being-eaten/

original video: Decorator Crabs Make High Fashion at Low Tide | Deep Look

has also introduced another interesting camouflage strategy before: small fish pretend to be a floating leaf, read more: dynamic picture appreciation: fallen leaves floating? No, it's a fish!