The Northern Boot Crab

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Seeing as the search for the elusive Pink-Spotted Mountain Cat had so far proved fruitless, Lionel Peabody, accompanied as ever by his loyal companion Reggie the honey badger, along with his niece Suki, decided to take a couple of days break at the coast.

Lionel thought this would be an ideal chance to check out the local shellfish and Suki fancied a spot of fishing. By pure accident Suki managed to catch a fine specimen of the Northern Boot Crab, which had grasped onto the bait she was using to attempt to catch fish.

The Boot Crab is a sub-species of hermit crabs, and like it’s relative lacks a shell of it’s own, and thus has to seek shelter in alternative abodes. What makes the Boot Crab unique is it’s preference of utilizing abandoned footwear. Boots of plastic or rubber are preferred due to leathers propensity to disintegrate more rapidly when exposed to seawater.

At a pinch, Boot Crabs will make do with sports shoes, and one specimen was even found in 1973 inhabiting the left foot of a tap dancing shoe.