Classification:
            Kingdom - Animalia
            Phylum - Arthropoda
            Subphylum - Crustaceans

Body:The body consists of three main parts: (1) the head, (2) the thorax, (3) the abdomen. There are no bones in the body. It has instead a hard exoskeleton and many jointed legs. Crustaceans also have the power of regeneration if they lose a limb. During the next molt, the lost limb may appear in a reduced size, which will grow with successive molts.

Movement:Most crustaceans crawl across the bottom of the ocean. Some, however, have sets of swimmerets that allow them to swim through the water. A few crustaceans, such as barnacles, attach themselves to solid, underwater objects, and remain sessile.

Feeding:A few species of crustaceans may be parasitic, but most prey on various other marine animals or eat the remains of other organisms as scavengers. Smaller species, like copepods, drift through the water and feed off microscopic plankton.

Reproduction:Crustaceans reproduce sexually. The male deposits sperm either on the females shell or into her abdomen, where the eggs are then fertilized. In most species, the female then carries the fertilized eggs in her abdomen in order to protect them until they hatch.

Gas Exchange:Most crustaceans breathe through gills, pushing water over the gills to intake oxygen. Some small species, however, breathe through their skin rather than gills.

Human Connections:Crustaceans effect humans because they also serve as a large portion of the fishery
business throughout the world.  The seafood business creates many jobs and at the same time allows humans to control the population of these organisms.
 

Curator: Beth Jewell, beth.jewell@fcps.edu