Taylor Swift's heroic hermit crab

Taylor Swift once had a hermit crab that survived for months after escaping.

The 26-year-old singer now has famous pets in the form of cats Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson, named after the lead characters in hit TV shows Grey's Anatomy and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However her choice of animal used to be a little more offbeat - and snappy.

"I used to keep hermit crabs as pets when I was a kid," she recalled to Us Weekly. "One summer, I lost my pet hermit crab before I had to leave the shore to go back to school. I came back to the house that winter and I found my hermit crab wandering around the house still alive."

She had a pug called Nelly as well, named after the rapper, however she didn't spill that secret to him during their joint performance last year (15).

Taylor was talking to the publication as part of its 25 Things You Didn't Know About Me article, in which she shared some lesser, even unknown, facts about herself. She's known for her close friendship with fans, even inviting them into her home for a special play party for album 1989, and doesn't mind being approached in public by loyal followers.

"I like it much more when people come up and ask for a picture in a restaurant rather than when they just point their camera at me and take one," she advised. "It feels like a real human interaction that way."

She also explained how she likes to look out for her loved ones, which stems back to her childhood where as a teenager she'd give her friends pepper spray to protect themselves. Taylor herself was bullied at high school, and recalled how her mother Andrea would help her get through the tough times.

"My favourite stone is an opal because when I was bullied in school, my mom used to take me to T.J. Maxx after school to look at the opal jewellery," she said. "I thought opals were so beautiful, and somehow it made me feel better. We never bought them, just looked."