Hermite Crab

Hermite Crabs are red hermit crabs with a small sprout on their shells that appear in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In the field, Hermite Crabs hide under their shells, occasionally peeping their eyes out, and picking up their shell and chasing Mario and Luigi if they get near.

In battle, Hermite Crabs, like on the field, hide under their shells during the Bros.' attack turns, moving from shell to shell every few seconds to confuse the Bros., as more often that not, there will be more shells than Hermite Crabs. Mario and Luigi must attack the shell once in order to rid it from battle and to then be able to attack the Hermite Crab that may be underneath. If the Hermite Crab's attack turn arrives while it is still under its shell, it will likely attack. If not, the Hermite Crab will leave for a moment to throw more unoccupied shells into the battle, some covering its friends, if any.

Hermite Crabs can attack by picking up their shell and throwing it high into the air above a Bro. It will then approach the Bro. it is targeting and idles by them until the shell hits them. The targeted Bro must swing their hammer with the right timing to both knock the shell away and hit the Hermite Crab. If the Hermite Crab stutters backwards when picking up the shell to throw, it will approach the Bro. that won't get hit by the shell, and will side-step away from the Bro. it approaches at the moment before the shell hits the Bro it isn't near. The Bro. who isn't approached must swat the shell away in order to avoid it. Additionally, the approached Bro. may smash the Hermite Crab to deal easy counter-attack damage.

Hermite Crabs can also pick up their shell, approach a bro, and chuck it in the direction they plan to move. If the Bro. is caught in its planned movement path, they must jump after the shell flies over their head and before it rushes into them.

Mario and Luigi can fight Hermite Crabs as early as visiting Mushrise Park for the first time, if they visit the pathways that connect to Wakeport to the west. As such, the Bros. can gather much more experience points from defeating Hermite Crabs at this point in the game than the enemies in Mushrise Park and Dozing Sands and can prematurely acquire Expert Challenges points.

A stronger version of these called Hermite Crab Rs appear later on in the game.