Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, make up the family Palinuridae in the order Decapoda and infraorder Achelata. There are around 60 species of these achelate crustaceans which are split into 12 genera.Spiny lobsters are found in almost all … [Read more...]
Crustaceans
Crustaceans are animals that usually have a hard covering, or exoskeleton, and two pairs of antennas, or feelers. People around the world eat many types of crustacean—for example, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and crayfish. Barnacles, water fleas, and pill bugs are also crustaceans. Crustaceans live throughout the world, mainly in water.
All crustaceans are arthropods. This is a group of animals that also includes insects and spiders.
Mantis Shrimp
Mantis shrimps, also known as stomatopods, comprise the order Stomatopoda. They are carnivorous marine crustaceans with more than 450 species known. They also belong to the group Crustacea, which are hard-shelled animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, … [Read more...]
The Slipper Lobster
Slipper lobsters make up the family Scyllaridae in the order Decapoda. There are around 90 species of these achelate (clawless) decapod crustaceans, split into 21 genera, which are placed in four subfamilies: Arctidinae, Ibacinae, Scyllarinae and Theninae.Slipper lobsters are … [Read more...]
Krill
Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. They belong to the class Malacostraca, which contains some 40,000 species of crustaceans, and includes the superorder Eucarida comprising the three orders, Euphausiacea (krill), … [Read more...]
Japanese Spider Crabs
The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) is a species of marine crab. It is the largest known living arthropod and has the largest leg span of any arthropod, sometimes measuring up to 12.5 feet from the tip of one front claw to the other. Japanese spider crabs live in the … [Read more...]
Crabs
Crabs are crustaceans and related to lobsters and shrimps. There are almost 5,000 different species of crabs, about 4,500 are true crabs, plus around 500 are hermit crabs (hermit crabs do not have a very hard shell and use other animals old shells for protection). However, crabs … [Read more...]
Green Crabs
The Green crab (Carcinus maenas) is known by different names around the world. In the British Isles, it is generally referred to simply as the Shore crab. In North America and South Africa, it bears the name Green crab or European green crab. In Australia and New Zealand, it is … [Read more...]
Hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea, not closely related to true crabs. Most hermit crabs salvage empty seashells to shelter and protect their soft abdomens, from which they derive the name 'hermit'. There are about five hundred known species of … [Read more...]
Horseshoe Crabs
Sometimes called living fossils, these horseshoe shaped arthropods are brown in color and totally harmless. Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) migrate to shallow water to mate and lay their green-colored eggs. Horseshoe crabs are benthic and feed on worms and molluscs. … [Read more...]
Red Rock Crabs
The Red Rock crab (Grapsus grapsus) also known as the Sally Lightfoot crab is one of the most common crabs along the north-east Pacific coastal waters. The Red Rock crab can also be seen along the entire coast of Central America and Mexico and nearby islands. The Red Rock crab … [Read more...]