You probably think horseshoe crabs are crustaceans, but you’d be wrong. They actually aren’t crabs at all, and there’s more about the horseshoe crab that you wouldn’t believe. This weird-looking marine animal survived two mass extinctions and lived in the Ordovician Period.
To begin with, the horseshoe crab, one the world’s oldest living creatures, are quite active. This fascinating crab has ten small walking legs under a strong, sturdy exoskeleton, a long spine in the abdomen, and a long pointy tail in the back used to push itself back up after being flipped on its back (Swinton, 99). Furthermore, horseshoe crabs got their name in an interesting way. The crab’s arc shaped exoskeleton, or shell, was compared to a horse’s shoe (Horseshoe Crab: Saint Louis Zoo). As mentioned before horseshoe crabs aren’t actually crabs. Though it may look like one, they are actually part of a family called Limuli. Some reasons it could have been misconceived as a crab are because its shell is comparable to a crab’s, the legs look a bit similar, and they are found on the Atlantic coast like other crabs. Also we can find horseshoe crab right here in North America along the hot, sandy Atlantic
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To start off, the horseshoe crab lived 200 million years before dinosaurs. What’s astounding is that while dinosaurs have become extinct, the horseshoe crab is still alive and well today (Horseshoe Crab:Saint Louis Zoo). Next is that it might not seem like it, but this critter is actually a predator. The crab likes to feed on things such as small clams, crustaceans, worms, algae, and other animals (Steel). Furthermore this animal is also known as the king crab. Finally the male horseshoe crab is actually shorter than the female the crab. The male is about 14-15 inches long from head to tail, while the female is measures in to be 18-19 inches long (Horseshoe Crab
A lobster must shed its shell in order to grow. It takes about five to seven years for a lobster to become a legal size harvestable adult. Soft-shell is the term used for a newly molted lobster. A soft-shell lobster has a shell with room for growth. Soft-shell lobsters are not as full of meat because their new shell is larger than the muscle inside the body. The part not filled with its body’s muscle tissue is filled with water. Soft-shell lobsters may look big on the outside, but they have a much lower meat yield on the inside. Most adult lobsters molt from June to September depending upon location and water temperatures.
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...
Zebra mussels have now found there way to the United States originating from the Caspian Sea and sought habitation, originally, in Lake St. Claire when ballast water brought them in. From there, zebra mussels have spread and have caused havoc to the environments and its biodiversity, specifically, Presque Isle. Zebra mussels are filter feeders of zooplankton and phytoplanktons, making the water appear clearer, but not cleaner. They have negatively impacted the existence of clams, walleye and several other organisms. In order to preserve the biodiversity of Presque Isle, zebra mussels must be culled and controlled. Several methods that can be utilized to achieve this goal is by chlorination, poison, scraping, etc.
The barnacles not only live and reproduce inside the host crab, but they control it. The tendrils attached to the nerves produce substances that change the crab’s endocrine system. This leads to the crab’s body absorbing its own Y-organ. The Y-organ instructs the crab to molt or grow. The crab’s androgenic gland is also degenerated. The androgenic gland controls sex differentiation. At this point, the crab is unable to grow, molt, regenerate lost limbs and it is infertile. When the barnacle inhabits a male crab, the changes feminize him. The male crab will resemble and act like a female. He may even perform a female mating dance. After all this has taken place, the host crab will take care of the parasitic eggs. The crab acts as if the eggs are its own. At the right time, the crab will climb up onto a high rock, and tend to the egg pouch, as it would do in its own reproductive cycle. When the generous number of eggs are ready to hatch, the crab will bob up and down in the water to release them. The crab will then mix the floating eggs with it’s claw to set them on their way. These larvae will usually find new hosts, which continues this
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.
In the phylum Mollusca, there are many organisms that have body parts that change as the environment around them change; such as the octopus. An octopus can camouflage to variety of objects in its environment. Each organism in the Mollusca phylum has a type of foot that stows mobility and they eat by a radula. The radula is strap like tongue that has very sharp teeth and they can change to be different shapes or sizes based on their prey. They have a pseudo coelomate body plan, meaning that they have a coelom that exists, but it is lined by mesoderm only on the body wall, not around the gut. This video enhanced my understanding standing of the phylum Mollu...
The courting ritual begins with the males circling females in an offshore mating ground and then the males approach and bite a female’s neck and if she accepts, they mate; if she does not accept, she swims to the bottom of the mating grounds (Deurmit L 2007). Males have long claws to use during mating because other males try to remove the mating male in order to mate with the female (Deurmit L 2007). Caretta caretta are polygynandrous and breed seasonally in the early summer (Deurmit L 2007). With mating, the females have the ability to store sperm throughout the reproductive season (Sakaoka K et al.). This characteristic developed with “changes in the sperm storage tubules (SSTs) in the oviduct” and allows the females to reproduce more (Sakaoka K et al.). This storage helps to combat climate change because Caretta caretta, as a species, only breed during certain temperatures (Sakaoka K et al.). Female loggerhead turtles have developed sperm storage abilities within mating to combat climate
The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located on the east coast of the United States. The bay is over 200 miles long and goes through Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay has much to offer the locals. Many locals have made a career out of harvesting the bay's sea food. The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help.
Once upon a time, there was a lonely lobster. His name was Claude. Claude liked to talk about everything and anything. The other lobster’s in his school didn't like that he talked so much, and they ignored him. Even his parents disowned him. They were sick of hearing him talk. Claude became sadder and sadder every day, all he wanted was a friend that he could talk and play with. Now that Claude was getting older he knew he needed to find a friend or he could be lonely all his life.
The green sea turtles have been taken out of the Atlantic Ocean for several years, so now they are an endangered species. Today, the green sea turtles population is growing and in the Florida Refuge they counted up to over 12,000 turtle nests. It is shocking to see how much the refuges care about the green sea turtles. They have been looking out for the turtles for 35 years. It was interesting to find out that these green sea turtles live for a really long time. It takes the turtles 25 years just to mature. This article caught my eye because I love science and animals. Knowing that people are taking care of what used to be endangered animals really means a lot to me. I hate seeing animals hurt or struggling to survive. Because of the refuges
The Chesapeake Bay is a lively and diverse estuary-- it holds our famous blue crabs, oysters, scallops, fish, 87 species of waterbirds, and over 3,600 species of plants. Any impact that we have on the oceans and the bay greatly affect the life and health of not only the bay, but also the many diverse species of seafood and fauna that exist in the bay.
On average, Loggerhead Sea Turtles have a life span of more than 50 years and weigh 250 pounds. (CITE?) Loggerheads are known for their large heads, strong jaws and a heart-shaped reddish-brown shell known as a carapace. (CITE?) Loggerheads
“Imagine walking on the beach at night, the sky completely full of stars. Suddenly you see this big dinosaur lumbering out of the sea—a 1,000-pound, 2-meter-long (450-kilogram, 6.5-foot-long) turtle. With incredible concentration, she uses her flippers to dig a huge nest in the sand."
As urbanization continues to expand amphibian population are on a global decline. In many rural areas, the only wetland available for aquatic reproduction is artificial ponds. While some species are able to persist in such an environment the majority of amphibians are negatively affected. The introduction of non-native species along with habitat degradation affects the successful reproduction of these native amphibians. Therefore, an understanding of the relationship between these species and their habitat is essential for conservation. This research sets out to determine conservation priorities for pond breeding amphibians in the hopes of preserving their existing populations.