Audie's Audacious Arthropods
Audie Choi Mitcham PAP Bio 6th
Aims of this Arthropod Activity...
Ah, the Astacoidea!
The crayfish is characterized by its yellow-brown shell and "stem" eyes. It is said to resemble a small lobster.
Crayfish are omnivores and scavengers, so they feed on a vast range of organisms: dead plants/animals, small fish, shrimp, worms, insects, snails, plankton, etc. The crayfish is preyed upon by animals like the alligator, raccoon, snake, muskrat, and opossum.
Crazy Crayfish Facts!
- The crayfish can be referred to as a "crawdad" or a "crawfish" depending on where the crayfish is found.
- The crayfish thrive in moving bodies of water.
- The crayfish is a fast swimmer, thanks to its rear tail.
- The crayfish rarely kills anything that is alive- it's very lazy.
- The crayfish does all of its travelling/feeding during the darkest hours.
Ventral
Internal
Side
The Crayfish's Respiratory System
Crayfish and Humans
Caelifera Corner
The grasshopper is characterized by its antennae, pinchers, and hind femurs that rub up against its abdomen to create a very distinctive sound.
The grasshopper is a primary consumer and has a diet of grasses, leaves, and cereal crops. Grasshoppers are typically polyphagous, and most grasshoppers will eat from multiple host plants daily. The grasshopper is preyed upon by animals like the beetle, skunk, shrew, toad, and snake.
Grasshopper Gospel!
- Grasshoppers have ears on their stomachs.
- Grasshoppers existed before dinosaurs did.
- Grasshoppers can jump up to 20 times their own height.
- Grasshoppers "spit" a peculiar brown liquid in self-defense.
- Grasshoppers can't actually distinguish between different pitches very well.
Male/Female
External
Internal
The Grasshopper's Respiratory System
Spiracles- small openings from the tracheae that are surrounded by hair (which serves as a filter) and valves (which are opened/closed voluntarily by the grasshopper)
Tracheae- a collection of air-filled tubes where CO2 and oxygen are exchanged
Air sacs- temporary storage spaces for the oxygen that passes through the grasshopper's body
Grasshoppers and Humans
Cited Sources
- "Crayfish." Wikipedia. 04 Sept. 2014. Wikimedia Foundation. 09 Apr. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish>.
- "Grasshopper." Wikipedia. 04 Aug. 2014. Wikimedia Foundation. 09 Apr. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper>.
- "Respiratory system of a grasshopper." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. 09 Apr. 2014 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/47792/The-respiratory-system-of-a-grasshopper-showing-spiracles-in-the>.
- "Respiratory System." Respiratory System. 09 Apr. 2014 <http://wiki.hicksvilleschools.org/groups/hsbiology/wiki/9abf5/Respiratory_System.html>.
- http://www.biologyjunction.com/crayfish_dissection.htm
- http://www.biologyjunction.com/grasshopper_dissection.htm
- "Critter Catalog." BioKIDS. 09 Apr. 2014 <http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Acrididae/>.
- "Crayfish Anatomy Part 1." YouTube. 04 Feb. 2012. YouTube. 09 Apr. 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBGuEDxvNo>.
- "Grasshopper Dissection." YouTube. 30 Nov. 2011. YouTube. 09 Apr. 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlipwN_5zlM>.