🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

Lauriea siagiani, also known as the pink hairy squat lobster or the fairy crab, is a species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae, genus Lauriea. Despite its name, L. siagiani is not really a lobster, but instead belongs to a group of crabs called the Anomurans.

They live on Giant Barrel Sponges and don’t usually like to get their photo taken. They’re a little bit shy. These squat lobsters are remarkably colored, with their intense pink body, purple spots, and bright yellow hairs that protrude in all directions. Lauriea siagiani has been recorded from Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan.

Hair squat lobsters also use their tiny stature for mischief and steal their food from anemones – a risky affair, considering anemones wield toxins and are aggressively defended by their clownfish residents. They also instinctually wrap their tails up under themselves for protection, which gives them their distinctly squat appearance.