01/16/13 Crustaceans Jointed Arms Exoskeleton

01/16/13 Molting http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholaslaughlin/466208315/ As a crustacean grows, its exoskeleton becomes too small and it grows a new (soft, flexible) one under the old one. The process of shedding the old exoskeleton is called molting. When the crustacean molts, it essentially walks out of its old skeleton! it fills its new, larger exoskeleton with water, to expand it to its new size. The new skeleton hardens and provides space for the animal to grow. When the new exoskeleton is still soft, the animal is vulnerable to predators. Usually an animal that has recently molted will hide under some rocks until its new exoskeleton hardens. This image is of a newly molted crab and its molted shell (the one with green algae is the shell)– the newly molted crab walks backwards out of a slit in the old exoskeleton. 2

01/16/13 Crabs http://www.flickr.com/photos/rling/438037601/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/webmink/394249/ top-(L) decorator crab covered in sponges (a good way to camouflage to avoid predators), (R) mangrove crab bottom– (L) Dungeness Crab http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennis_dugan/2042001203/ 3

01/16/13 Shrimp and Lobsters http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildsingapore/5594720801/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbukay/5484961828/ Upper L- ghost shrimp, a crustacean that lives in mud flats; Upper R—evidence of ghost shrimp burrows Bottom L- spiny lobster http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonscott/318961412/ 4

Shrimp come in all colors http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpockele/146201328/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pacificklaus/5372664876/ 01/16/13 Shrimp come in all colors http://www.flickr.com/photos/racaza/3102221720/ 5

01/16/13 Barnacles http://www.flickr.com/photos/swan-scot/4812964012/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/minette_layne/567446946/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/76798465@N00/347125661/ Barnacles are crustaceans too! There are (top L) gooseneck barnacles that attach a flexible stalk to rocks, ropes and other objects, and (top R) acorn barnacles that attach to rocks with special glue, and even barnacles that float in the ocean (bottom R). 6

01/16/13 Isopods http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebok/5994086888/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanexplorergov/3175413284/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapstrake/3743323194/ Isopods are tiny crustaceans that can be found living underwater on seaweed and sea grass. They often are the same color as their environment or food, which helps them hide from predators (camouflage). Top: Giant Deep Sea Amphipod Bottom: 2 species of marine isopod 7

01/16/13 Beach hoppers http://www.flickr.com/photos/taylar/3661655541/ Beach hoppers are crustaceans that live in tiny holes in the sand and eat pieces of seaweed that get washed up on the beach. They have huge hind legs and can hop very far compared to their body size. 8