Aki Inomata – Why Not Hand Over a “Shelter” to Hermit Crabs?

After thriving for 300 million years, ammonites became extinct when the dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. From the shell structure and fossils, it is assumed that the ammonite is closely related to the squid and octopus. The octopus shed its shell during evolution, but is known to use tools such as coconut shells and bivalves to protect its soft body. Inspired by this evolutionary story, artist and designer Aki Inomata reproduced an ammonite shell and put it in contact with an octopus. Mersi, the animal chosen for this experiment, was placed in an aquarium with an ammonite shell made using 3D scanning and printing techniques, and it took Mersi only a few minutes to settle in.