The Horseshoe crab famously known as the “living fossil”, an animal species identified by its scientific name, Limulidae, is greatly known for its life saving blue blood. These horseshoe crabs are unlike any other crabs in the world; in fact they aren’t even considered to be related to any other crab species. Horseshoecrab.org states that “they are more closely related to spiders, scorpions and trilobites that existed over 500 million years ago due to their appearance and structure” (Horseshoecrab.org, 2014). According to the American Museum of Natural History, “Trilobites are an inexistent class of arthropods that appeared early in the Cambrian period, which lived and died before the presence of dinosaurs” (American Museum of Natural History, 2014). The horseshoe crab can be found globally in warm shallow waters off the coasts of Indonesia, Japan, India, eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico. The outer formation of this species has transformed very little over time and is composed of a hard exoskeleton, ten eyes, ten legs and a long, thin tail in which they use for direction when moving. These crabs are naturally nocturnal animals that come out in the shadows of the night to search for their food. They are also said to be omnivores and will consume just about anything but their main prey are worms, molluscs and crustaceans. Their main predators consist of sharks, turtles, coastal birds and humans. The dimensions of these crabs range approximately from 8 to 24 inches in length and weigh anywhere from 2 to 10 pounds. Horseshoe crabs average lifespan is about 15 to 30 years but it all depends on the habitat, lifecycle and additional risk factors the crabs are prone to. They tend to come onto shore when it’s time to mate and ...
... middle of paper ...
...avior of these crabs changed significantly. They became slower, didn’t move as much, had different patterns in movement and became more stressed and disconcerted. Scientists consider that the main concern for these changes is because the crabs are being captured and bled right before their mating cycle. With that said, after the crabs have a change in behavior they get thrown back onto shore or in the water with no desire do anything customary such as reproducing which is contributing to a decline in this species. “A solution to the decline of these crabs would be waiting to capture and bleed the crabs until after the breeding season” says Chabot (BBAHCB, 2014). Researchers are searching for methods to better help these crabs live longer and continue to reproduce without any of these affects, hoping that one day this amazing species may be able to truly live freely.
T. californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the animal.
The crustacean moult cycle is initiated when the Y-organ in the head secretes the hormone Ecdysone (E) into the circulatory system[3,4,5]; the Y-organ is the primary source of E[5]. Upon contact with the haemolymph (a combination of blood and tissue fluid) within the circulatory system E is converted to its active form, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), by a P450 enzyme[4]. This causes the epidermal cells to secrete moulting fluid, which contains a mixture of enzymes such as proteases and chitinases. The moulting fluid degrades the exo- and endocuticle, and the digested cuticle is reabsorbed to create new cuticle; moult fluid also has a role in initiating the moult. The degraded cuticle is replaced by water or air so that the animal can swell in order to lose the shell. During the passive phase of the moult cycle, the shell splits along the break point caused by the decalcification of the shell, in the crab this is along the epimeral lines. Once the shell has split, the animal wiggles side-to-side to free itself from i...
The location is one of the most critical factors to analyze thoroughly because it helps predict whether the sales of the choosing location will be good or not? Although the Boiling Crab is in the growth stage, it still has to focus on new locations that the owner plan to extend to these areas. As I mentioned in the introduction, the owner plans to open the Boiling Crab in four new locations soon.
Sabellaria cementarium belongs to the phylum Annelids and is an invertebrate polychaete species. They are found in small clumps at the rocky bottoms of the sea floor where they use the rich source of natural phytoplankton as their primary diet (Qian and Chia, 1990). The tube-like worms can behave social and form extensive reefs or independently build hollow tubes in to the sandstone (pawlik and Chia, 1991). Embryos form a polar lobe that is absorbed in to the blastomeres at the end of division. Larval development and movement follows shortly after the 14-15 hour fertilization period where spiral cleaving of the fertilized oocytes appears (Render, 1983). Much is still not known about the invertebrate worm in their natural niche.
The sessile consumers are those that are stationary and all feed off small plankton creating competition for their food source which allows some sessile consumers to be more dominant than others. Mussels are the most dominant between the sessile consumer with the Starfish as its predator, followed by Goose Neck Barnacles whose predators are Whelk and Starfish, and Acorn Barnacles whose predators is Whelk. The mobile consumers consist of Whelk(Nucella), Chiton(Katharina), and Starfish(pisaster). The mobile consumers, which are the the species that have a possibility to be the Keystone species are predators and compete for food. The Starfish preys on Mussels and Goose Neck Particles, the Whelk generally prey on Acorn Barnacles and Goose Neck Barnacles, and the Chiton prey on Nori Seaweed, Black Pine, and occasionally Coral Weed. Between the Mobile Consumers the only competition for food is between the Whelk and Starfish who both prey on Goose Neck Barnacles. Lastly, there is the invasive species known as the Green Crab (Carcinus) which has invaded the environment. The Green crab invades the area and is a predator to all
Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations take place continuously and even the smallest of changes can leave a significant impact. Examples can be seen within any plant or animal. One example would include sea turtles, specifically, the Loggerhead Turtles. These turtles are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea (Deurmit L 2007). They thrive in either temperate or tropical climates and can live in a myriad of biomes (Deurmit L 2007). These biomes include the pelagic, reef, coastal, and brackish water (Deurmit L 2007). Loggerhead turtles are omnivores and can eat anything from insects to aquatic crustaceans, to macro algae (Deurmit L 2007). According to Deurmit (2007) Caretta caretta is classified into Animalia Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Vertebrata Subphylum, Reptilian Class, Testudines’ Order,
Organized in the class Actinopterygii, seahorses, Hippocampus spp., are marine dwelling organisms found in bodies of water which span from tropical to temperate zones around the Earth. As cited by Foster in Life History and Ecology of Seahorses, research by R. A. Fritschze suggests that the genus Hippocampus diverged at least 20 million years ago from its ancestral origins. Research pertaining to organisms organized under the genus Hippocampus are conflicting in regards to the number species contained within it, although a general figure places the number at around fifty discovered species(website source). These odd-looking organisms reside at shallow depths of less than 30 meters and can be found in habitats containing seagrass beds and coral reefs(Foster 10). Hippocampus spp. are all predatory organisms, their main sources of food consist of small crustaceans and fish, as well as other organisms which are small enough to be consumed(lourie 10). Although Hippocampus spp. are predatory, their size and restricted mobility capabilities place them at risk of being prey for other carnivorous organisms.
“Taxonomically speaking, a lobster is a marine crustacean of the family Homaridae, characterized by five pairs of jointed legs, the first pair terminating in large pincerish claws used for subduing prey…. Moreover, a crustacean is an aquatic arthropod of the class Crustacea, which comprises of crabs, shrimp, barnacles, lobsters, and freshwater crayfish” (Wallace, 55). This is an example of Logos since the author uses scientific facts to convey the message he wants to communicate in an objective way. Wallace also uses logos as a persuasive device by presenting facts on the science of the lobster’s neurological system and its ability to feel pain. The Maine Lobster Promotion Council states “The nervous system of a lobster is very simple, and is in fact most similar to the nervous system of a grasshopper. It is decentralized with no brain. There is no cerebral cortex, which in humans is the area of the brain that gives the experience of pain”. Wallace counter-argues this statement by mentioning the fact that since lobsters have a simpler nervous system compared to humans, they are unable to produce their own natural opiates. “One can conclude that lobsters are maybe even more vulnerable to pain, since they lack mammalian nervous systems’ built-in analgesia, or, instead, that the absence of natural opioids implies an absence of the really intense
The movie that shocked thousands of Americans with the secrets of SeaWorld became one of the most talked about movies of its century. Blackfish came out in July of 2013 with shocking evidence of the mistreatment of Orcas, also known as killer whales, and the dangers imposed on the whale trainers. The movie had several strategies to appeal to its audience. These strategies included the three pillars of writing; logos, ethos, and pathos. Although the overall theme of Blackfish was to inform the viewers of the treatment Seaworld imposes on Orcas, the fundamentals of the movie actively used the three pillars; ethos, logos, and pathos to effectively catch the attention of the viewers and keep them drawn into the movie; the most prominent pillar was pathos followed
Grabowski, Jonathan H., et al. "The Role Of Food Limitation In Lobster Population Dynamics In
Peak abundance of adult crabs occurs during the warmer months. During winter, crabs are found in areas of tidal exchange in the lower estuary. Juvenile blue crabs are most abundant in waters of low to intermediate salinity during the winter months. Males become sexually mature at the 18 or 19th molt but may continue to grow and molt an additional 3-4 times thereafter. Female crabs were initially thought to rarely, if ever, molt again following their mature molt.
For example, zombie worms are very tiny. They are so small, they even lack a mouth and gut. They are red and pink in color. Giant squids are the opposite of zombie worms because they are extremely large. For example, they have two feeding tentacles which can be up to ten meters long, they also have eight arms that are all about half the size of their feeding tentacles. The feeding tentacles have hundreds of strong, toothed suckers and all arms have thousands of the same toothed suckers. The squid also has the largest eyes on earth, it has two eyes that are eleven inches in diameter. They are different colors, for example, at the surface of the ocean they are reddish orange or pink with spots of white and in the deeper parts of the ocean, they are silvery or gold. Yeti crabs are white or very pale yellow. They have hairy legs and chests and they measure almost six inches long. Each of these animals had to adapt to live in the sea and their appearances play a large role in this. For example, zombie worms don’t have a mouth or stomach, but instead they have skin cells that produce acid, the giant squids use their arms to catch prey and feed itself, and the crabs are able to survive in extreme heat and
to the lobster and crab. Their closest living relative today is the horseshoe crab.The name
they find their food by their surroundings and sifting the sand of filtering the water. the bulk of their diet is composed algae and plankton matter. The big evolutionary change helped the shrimp defend itself, time before the change there wasn’t this many shrimp in the ocean most people eat shrimp and can cause a decrease in shrimp, progress has been showed since this great evolutionary change, there are some effects on the species such as not being able to see where it’s going and can sometimes get in to traps and trash in the
Crustacea is a large subphylum of Arthropoda, consisting of almost 52 000 described species, including animals like crabs, lobsters, shrimp and barnacles. The majority of these are aquatic, living in marine or fresh water environments, though some have adapted to living on land like some crabs and woodlice. Most crustaceans are relatively small, though there are some exceptions. All of them have a hard, strong exoskeleton, divided into two parts, which has to be shed in order to allow the animal itself to grow. They have a large circulation system, where blood is pumped around the body by the heart. Only some crustaceans have sexes separate, and those that are usually mate seasonally and lay eggs. The study of Crustacea is called carcinology.