Pair of hermit crabs on the Oregon coast - are they mating? (1 Viewer)

[MiguelATF]

Saw these two hermit crabs in a tide pool off Cape Blanco - the westernmost point in both Oregon and the contiguous United States. The larger one was maneuvering and dragging the smaller one. Occasionally they seemed to rub or touch one another's claws. From what I have read, this is typical of the beginning of a mating encounter. Am wondering if that in fact is what's going on here?

A related question - I'm almost certain these particular hermit crabs belong to the family of Paguridae - but I can't quite figure out which exact species they are. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[MiguelATF]

A biologist on iNaturalist gave a more precise ID for these cool hermit crabs: they seem to be Pagarus samuelis - aka Blueband hermit crabs (one of the most common species in California, and relatively common in the tidal waters of Oregon, to the north). The tiny blue band on the smaller crab - and the bluish claws on the larger one - seem to confirm this