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The genus Coenobita contains the sixteen species of terrestrial hermit crabs.[1] The majority of the species are found in the Indo-Pacific region, with only one species in West Africa, one species occurring along the western Atlantic Ocean, and one species occurring on the Pacific coast of the Americas.[2] Coenobita is closely related to the coconut crab, Birgus latro, with the two genera making up the whole of the family Coenobitidae. Coenobita species carry water in the gastropod shells they inhabit, allowing them to stay out of water for a long time.[3]