Let’s begin this post with a picture that’s practically guaranteed to make your day a little better.
And if it doesn’t make you smile at least a little bit… well, then… I throw my hands up in defeat. You may be hopeless.
That’s right, you’re looking at a hermit crab sporting the most fantastically magical kick-butt looking shell you can possibly ever imagine.
The fairy tale shell is courtesy of the mind (and skills) of Japanese artist Aki Inomata.
Even better, inspired by cityscapes, these temporary crab homes don’t just look great… Inomata made sure they function great too.
She began by doing CT scans of hermit crab shells producing detailed 3D renderings of the insides of the shells.
She wanted to be sure that her shells had the right features to appeal to a hermit crab who was looking for a new shelter to call home.
Here crab number one sports a whimsical windmill-inspired abode and crab number two prefers the robust flavors of Thailand. (Click the pic for a bigger version.)
Go visit Inomato’s website to see more hermit crab goodness… as well as her other projects.
And here’s a video of her hermit crab homes in motion
Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter†to Hermit Crabs? digest ver. from Aki Inomata on Vimeo.
(Thanks to Flavorwire.)
