crustacean
Hard-shelled sea dweller
A crustacean is an arthropod with a hard external shell, segmented body, and jointed limbs—crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crayfish, barnacles, and their kin.
Most are aquatic, breathing through gills.
The shell must be molted periodically as the animal grows.
Crustaceans are distinguished from insects and arachnids by having more than six legs and often bearing two pairs of antennae.
Large marine shellfish
- crabPincer-bearing shellfish
- shrimpSmall edible crustacean
- prawnEdible marine decapod
- barnacleSessile marine crustacean
krill · copepod · amphipod · isopod · crayfish · langoustine · crawfish · hermit
External skeletal structure
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- chitinArthropod shell polymer
- pincersGripping tool or claws
- chelaePincer-like appendages
antennae · mandible · appendages · segmentation · molting · jointed · cuticle · eyestalks
Minute planktonic crustacean
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- amphipodSmall sideways-flattened crustacean
- isopodSeven-legged-pair crustacean
- planktonicDrifting in water
larval · filter feeder · brine shrimp · water flea · daphnia · cyclops · swarm
Marine creatures as cuisine
- bisqueCreamy seafood soup
- boilHeat to bubbling point
- butteryRich like a spread
- drawn butterMelted, skimmed cooking fat
crabmeat · crab cake · lobster roll · shrimp cocktail · scampi · tempura · étouffée · gumbo
Extinct segmented marine arthropod
- CambrianEarliest Paleozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- extinctNo longer existing
Ordovician · Silurian · Devonian · Carboniferous · Permian · calcified · primordial · evolution
Of the sea bottom
- pelagicOf the open sea
- tidalOf sea rhythms
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
mangrove · intertidal · brackish · burrow · coral · seafloor · kelp · rocky shore
Young person or animal
- moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
- instarArthropod developmental stage
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
- larvaImmature feeding stage
lobster
Large marine shellfish
barnacle · krill · copepod · amphipod · isopod · crayfish · langoustine · crawfish · hermit · fiddler
exoskeleton
External skeletal structure
chelae · antennae · mandible · appendages · segmentation · molting · jointed · cuticle · eyestalks · cephalothorax
copepod
Minute planktonic crustacean
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
- amphipodSmall sideways-flattened crustacean
- isopodSeven-legged-pair crustacean
planktonic · larval · filter feeder · brine shrimp · water flea · daphnia · cyclops · swarm
seafood
Marine creatures as cuisine
drawn butter · crabmeat · crab cake · lobster roll · shrimp cocktail · scampi · tempura · étouffée · gumbo · paella
trilobite
Extinct segmented marine arthropod
- CambrianEarliest Paleozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
extinct · Ordovician · Silurian · Devonian · Carboniferous · Permian · calcified · primordial · evolution · ancestral
benthic
Of the sea bottom
estuary · mangrove · intertidal · brackish · burrow · coral · seafloor · kelp · rocky shore · sand
juvenile
Young person or animal
- moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
- instarArthropod developmental stage
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
larva · plankton · hatchling · settlement
- creaturesanimals, animal, mammals, mammal, birds
- life formsorganisms, organism, lifeforms, animal, creatures
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- seafoodfish, shrimp, crab, lobster, salmon
- things with legshuman, dog, cat, horse, cow
- arthropodsarthropod, arthropods, Arthropoda, insects, insect