The Incredible Crayfish
Harlem Murray Pre-Ap Biology April 7, 2014 - Mitcham
Objective
Students will be learning basic information about crayfish and their habitat.Students will also learn about the functions and organs of the crayfish integumentary system. Students will learn about the anatomys and niche of the crayfish
Background Information
Crayfish, also called crawfish, crawdads, and mudbugs, are a group of small crustaceans that resemble lobsters and to which they are actually closely related.They belong to the kingdom of Animalia, under the phylum Arthropoda and the subphylum Crustacea. They characterized by a fused head and thorax and a segmented body. They live in mostly freshwater habitats and can sometimes live with low levels of saline.Crayfish prey consists of zooplankton and algae, and their predators can be birds, fish, alligators, small mammals and so forth. An adaptation that female crayfish have is being able to store sperm for when the environment is free of predators and for when the water is warm enough.
Food
Crayfish are well known for their being part of Creole cuisine. Procambarus clarkii is especially well known for being eaten at Louisiana-style crayfish boils(a large gathering where people come to eat a large pot of crawfish and other such things).
Habitat
Crayfish usually live in warm, freshwater habitats that don't freeze over in cold conditions. They are most active at the darkest hours of night when most of their predators are asleep.
Predators
Crayfish have a wide variety of predators from alligators to birds to small mammals. The crayfish has an interesting way of escape though, their tail! Their tail is extremely strong to the point where they can dart 30 centimeters backwards with one flap of it.They also pinch very hard to escape predators jaws or hands.
LOUISIANA CRAWFISH BOIL
Integumentary System
chelipeds, rostrum, carapace, cephalothorax, swimmerets; exoskeleton made of chitin and proteins(calcium carbonate makes it hard)
Respiratory System
Gills attached to base of walking legs on cephalothorax; exchanges gases with water;(gills also remove nitrogen waste as ammonia.Movement when walkin
Nervous System
Brain, ventral nerve cord, antenna: touch & taste, antennule: equilibrium
Integumentary System
Crayfish has a hard exoskeleton that protects and supports the body. Crayfish has 8 jointed walking legs, segmented body, 2 pairs of sensory antennae, and compound eyes. They have 2 large pincers called chelipeds. If a crayfish loses a leg, the leg will regenerate the next time it molts. The crayfish has a fused head and thorax that form the cephalothorax. Crayfish breath dissolved oxygen in water.