What is carcinology?
Carcinology is the scientific study of crustaceans.
A crustacean is an arthropod with a hard shell, several pairs of jointed legs, and usually lives in water. Crabs, Lobsters, Crayfish, Water Fleas, Krill, Barnacles, Copepods, Prawns, and Shrimp are crustaceans.
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The Linear Cobalt Crayfish (Cambarus gentryi) is a freshwater decapod (10-legged) crustacean in the Cambaridae family of crayfish.
The Linear Cobalt Crayfish has a cobalt blue shell with orange or yellow markings. It has 10 appendages – two of them are large pincers. Its other legs have a small claw at the end. It has 20 body segments grouped into two main parts: the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
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People often say “You are what you eat.” What does this phrase mean? It means that the food you eat makes a difference to your health. The phrase began in 1826 when French lawyer Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote it, but it became more popular in America from 1923 when it appeared in the Bridgeport Telegraph newspaper.
The phrase is generally not used for animals. However, for the Flamingo it is true, and that is why the Flamingo is pink.
The Flamingo has orange-pink feathers. The orange-pink colour comes from the food it eats.
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The Common Spider Crab is a master at camouflage, using algae to cover itself.
The Common Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Epialtidae family of stenohaline crabs. It is also known as the Portly Spider Crab or the Nine-Spined Spider Crab. It is native to the Atlantic coastal waters of North America.
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The Common Prawn (Palaemon serratus) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Palaemonidae family of invertebrate ten-footed shrimp (decapod). It is related to the crab and the lobster.
The Common Prawn is transparent (see-through) to pinkish-brown with reddish striped-liked markings and patterns. It has an exo-skeleton (outside skeleton) called a carapace or shell. Its forward extension of the carapace in front of its eyes, called the rostrum, curves upwards. The rostrum is also bifurcated at the tip, which means that it is split into two parts. It has long, white antennae. It has bulging eyes. It has ten legs.
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The Golden King Crab (Lithodes longispina) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Lithodoidea family of crabs. However, many scientists think it should be classified in the Paguroidea superfamily of hermit crabs. It is a decapod because it has 10 limbs.
The Golden King Crab has five pairs of spiny limbs – 10 limbs. The front pair of legs has claws, or nippers. Its rounded-triangular exoskeleton shell (carapace) is pale orange with spines.
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The Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum) is an isopod crustacean in the Philosciidae family of woodlice. It is also known as the Fast Woodlouse or the European Woodlouse.
The Common Striped Woodlouse has a shiny, brown shell-like exo-skeleton (Iike armour), although it can be yellowish-brown with rows of spots. Its head is dark and it has a dark stripe on its back. It has long antennae. It has a segmented body. The last five segments are narrower than the other segments.
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The Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) is a crustacean in the Portunidae family of crabs. It is also known as the Littoral Crab and the Green Crab.
The Shore Crab is greenish in colour, but it can also be brown, grey, or red. Its carapace (shell) has five short notches along the edge, behind each eye. It also has three undulations which protrude beyond the eyes. It has ten legs.
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The Purple Rock Crab (Leptograpsus variegatus) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Grapsidae family of large-eyed crabs.
The Purple Rock Crab has a purplish-coloured shell called a carapace. It gains white markings as it matures. The carapace is smooth and shaped like a square.
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The Pederson’s Shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni or Periclemenes pedersoni) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Palaemonidae family of shrimp. It is also known as the Pederson’s Cleaner Shrimp. It is related to the crab and the lobster.
The Pederson’s Shrimp is a small, transparent (see-through) shrimp with blue or violet markings on its body. It has long, white antennae.
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The Greater Spiny Crab (Maja brachydactyla) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Majidae family of crabs. It is a majid crab. It is also called a Sea Spider.
The Greater Spider Crab is almost triangular in shape with an olive-khaki-green exo-skeleton (shell) called a carapace. The carapace is covered in spines called tubercles. It has 10 orange legs.
The Greater Spider Crab walks forward – unlike most crabs that walk sideways.
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The Peimatherimi Crab (Fredius platyacanthus) is a crustacean in the Pseudothelphusidae family of freshwater crabs.
The Peimatherimi Crab has a shield-shaped bluish-yellow exo-skeleton (shell) called a carapace. The carapace is covered in spines called tubercles. It has 10 orange-blue legs.
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The Small European Locust Lobster (Scyllarus arctus) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Scyllarus family of lobsters. It is also called the Slipper Lobster, the Lesser Slipper Lobster, and the Broad Lobster. Crustaceans include crabs, crayfish, and shrimps.
The Small European Locust Lobster is a decapod with ten legs, including a pair of claws. It has a reddish-brown exo-skeleton. Its abdomen has six segments, ending with a flattened, fan-shaped tail called a telson. It has a dark-brown spot in the centre of each abdominal segment. It also has dark-blue rings around each segment. It has eye-stalks. It has gills to enable it to breathe oxygen from the sea water.
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The European Lobster (Homarus gammarus) is a marine (saltwater) clawed crustacean. It is also known as the Common Lobster. It is related to the American Lobster (Homarus americanus). Crustaceans include crabs, crayfish, and shrimps.
The European Lobster is a decapod with ten legs, including a large pair of claws or nippers. It has a hard, blue shell called an exo-skeleton. It has eye-stalks. The shell is covered with pointed tubercles (like mini-teeth). It has gills to breathe oxygen from the sea water. Its abdomen has six segments, ending with a fan-shaped tail called a telson.
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The Giant Isopod Crustacean (Bathynomus giganteus) is a deep-sea aquatic saltwater crustacean. It is related to the shrimp and the crab.
The Giant Isopod Crustacean is a decapod with 10 legs. It looks like a woodlouse because it has a hard exo-skeleton with overlapping segments. It can curl up into a ball. It has large compound eyes. It is pinkish or pale-lilac in colour.
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The Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is a freshwater crustacean. Crustaceans include shrimp, lobsters, and crabs.
The Signal Crayfish has a hard, bluish-brown to reddish-brown exo-skeleton (outer shell), called a carapace. It has a white to pale blue-green patch near its claw hinge like a white signal flag. It is a decapod because it has 10 clawed limbs, with two large, smooth, front claws called nippers. It has eye stalks. It has gills to breathe oxygen from the water. Its abdomen has six segments, ending with a fan-shaped tail called a telson.
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What is a crustacean?
A crustacean is an arthropod with a hard exo-skeleton, called a carapace.
A crustacean includes the crab, lobster, crayfish, shrimp, prawn, krill, woodlouse, sandhopper, and barnacle.
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The European Crayfish (Astacus astacus) is a freshwater crustacean. It is also known as the Noble Crayfish, the Broad-Fingered Crayfish, the European Crawfish, or the European Freshwater Lobster. Crustaceans include shrimp, lobsters, and crabs.
The European Crayfish has a hard, reddish-orange exo-skeleton or outer shell, called a carapace. It is a decapod because it has 10 clawed limbs, with two large front claws called nippers. It has eye stalks. It has gills to breathe oxygen from the water. Its abdomen has six segments, ending with a fan-shaped tail called a telson.
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The Common Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean. It is also known as the Portly Spider Crab or the Nine-Spined Spider Crab.
The Common Spider Crab is almost triangular in shape with an olive-khaki-green exo-skeleton (shell) called a carapace. The carapace is covered in spines called tubercles. It has 10 orange legs.
The Common Spider Crab walks forward – unlike most crabs that walk sideways.
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The Deep-Sea Decapod Crustacean (Polycheles enthrix) is a blind, ten-limbed lobster-like crustacean. Polycheles means ‘many-clawed.’ It is often known as a ‘living fossil.’
The Deep-Sea Decapod Crustacean looks like a lobster or a shrimp, with a reddish-orange exo-skeleton. It has ten elongated chelate (clawed) limbs and a segmented tail. Because it lives in very deep oceans, where there is little or no light, its eyes are not functional, and therefore it is blind.
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