Interesting Facts About Crustaceans
Crustaceans are sea animals that have an armored exoskeleton, including crabs, lobsters and shrimp. Many crustaceans are a source of food.
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Lobster Violin
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Lobsters can produce noises. According to the University of California, Irvine, lobsters have a mechanism of producing sound similar to a violin. The lobster drags its antenna across bumps next to its eyes to create noise. The screech of the lobster's violin produces a noise that can scare off animals which are trying to eat it.
Lobster GPS
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Lobsters have a built-in geographic positioning system akin to the GPS system in your car. They can use the Earth's magnetic field to find their location as well as to find a route to another destination. According to the University of North Carolina, lobsters can navigate back to their home area even after being captured and moved several miles in researchers' boats. A trip of this distance means that the lobsters would not remember visual landmarks such as rocks, seaweed and reefs, so they had to rely on their magnetic field sensors.
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Yeti Crab
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One type of crab looks like the legendary mountain beast, the Yeti. This large crab appears deep underwater in trenches near volcanic vents. The crab has a white body and white strands that look like hair cover its pincers. According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Yeti crab may have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria living in its pincers, although it's not clear how the bacteria benefit the crab.
Fiddler Crab Giant Claw
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Male fiddler crabs have a very large right claw. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the crab's right claw is almost two thirds of its total body mass. The male fiddler crab is also noisy and stomps the ground to attract female crabs as well as making noises with its huge claw. These crabs live in wetlands and marshes and dig holes in the soft terrain to build their homes.
Blue Crabs
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Blue crabs have a striking appearance on land, although their blue shell helps them blend in when they are under water. Female blue crabs have rose tips on their claws, creating the appearance of nail polish. Fishermen often catch blue crabs in the New England states as a food source. Male blue crabs dance to attract mates, standing up on their back legs and waving their claws around to show off.
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- Photo Credit crab image by Andrew Buckin from Fotolia.com
