Armored Arthropods and 22 the Crabby Crustaceans

Wouldn’t it be cool to have your own built-in armor? That’s what arthropods have —hard skeletons outside their bodies to keep them safe and give them structure. These creatures are some of the most plentiful animals on the earth.

Recommended Reading High Tides for Horseshoe Crabs, by Lisa Kahn Schnell

Seashells, Crabs, and Sea Stars, by Christine Kump Tibbitts, p.24-29 Backyard Bugs ACTIVITY Observation

Arthropods are all of those jointed leg creatures that have an exoskeleton to protect them. This week, take time to explore the arthropods in your own backyard!

SUPPLY LIST INSTRUCTIONS

• Pen or pencil 1. Make several copies of your Backyard Bugs Observation Journal page. • 2 -liter bottle 2. Go on a nature walk outside in your own backyard, or spend some time at a park (optional) looking for arthropods. Look under rocks, in flower bends, or anywhere else you think bugs might be hiding. 3. Draw the creatures you find and fill out the journal page for each one. 4. After you’ve had a chance to watch lessons 22 and 23, see if you can identify the different bugs you find. Are they crustaceans, insects, or arachnids? 5. If you’d like to try to find some different types of arthropods, consider making a pitfall trap using a 2-liter bottle. Check out the short video in the online classroom for instructions! Backyard Bug Observatons

TYPE OF INSECT

DATE: TIME:

LOCATION: GROUND PLANT OTHER

TYPE OF ARTHROPOD:

CRUSTACEAN INSECT ARACHNID UNKNOWN

NOTES:

SKETCH: Animal Fact File Phylum Arthropoda: Class Crustacea

Choose an animal in this class to research, and then compile all you’ve learned on this page!

Common Name Scientific Name

Habitat Diet

Picture Vertebrate

Invertebrate

Herbivore

Carnivore

Omnivore

Fun Facts

QUESTION: What does the word arthropod mean?

ANSWER: Jointed leg

LESSON 22

QUESTION: What kind of skeleton does an arthropod have?

ANSWER: Exoskeleton, a skeleton on the outside of the body

LESSON 22 QUESTION: What are the three segments of many arthropods?

ANSWER: 1) Head 2) Thorax 3) Abdomen

LESSON 22 Armored Arthropods and the Crabby Crustaceans

Lesson 22 Quiz

1. Which of the following is not true of arthropods? A) They have endoskeletons. B) They have jointed legs. C) Their bodies are divided into segments.

2. An exoskeleton is a skeleton found: A) on the outside of an animal’s body B) on the inside of an animal’s body C) only in fish

3. Exoskeletons are not living and need: A) to be shed by molting B) to grow C) to be inside the body

4. Arthropods typically have 3 body segments: head, thorax, and abdomen. True False

5. A fused head and thorax body segment is called: A) a thorax B) a cephalothorax C) an exoskeleton

6. Crustaceans, including barnacles, crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, woodlice, and beach fleas, have jointed legs that divide into: A) segments B) pinchers C) branches

7. Crustaceans use appendages called pincers to: A) swim B) walk C) capture prey

8. Crustaceans use appendages called swimmerets in their telson to help them: A) swim B) walk C) capture prey