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Crustacean Facts & Worksheets

Crustaceans are marine animals belonging to the anthropod taxon.

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Crustaceans are some of the most important species in marine life. In addition to being a significant source of food for humans, crustaceans are also a key component of marine life’s diet, including that of whales, fish, and pinnipeds.

See the fact file below for more information on crustaceans, or you can download our 26-page Crustacean worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY AND BACKGROUND 

  • Crustacean came from the word “crusta”, which is Latin for shell.
  • Crustaceans are a subphyla of the phylum Arthropoda (arthropod) – the largest group in the animal kingdom, which includes spiders, scorpions, lobsters, crabs, prawns, millipedes, centipedes, copepods, amphipods, and other sessile species, such as barnacles.
  • Crustaceans are the second most abundant group of invertebrate animals, after insects and vertebrates, and are more diversified than any other category of arthropods. They can be found in interior and coastal waterways from the Arctic to the Antarctic, as well as at altitudes ranging from well below sea level to 16,000 feet in the Himalayas.

EXTERNAL FEATURES: CRUSTACEAN

  • Crustaceans are invertebrates with a  carapace, a hard exoskeleton originating as a fold during development from the last somite at the back of the head. It offers the body protection and places for muscles to attach.
  • Crustaceans’ body parts are composed of three segments – the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. A cephalothorax, which is covered by a single huge carapace, is formed in some species when the head and thorax are fused together.
  • Crustaceans’ head consists of two pairs of sensory antennae, a pair of mandibles that helps them chew food, two pairs of maxillae in aid of mandibles in positioning the food. They also have compound eyes, usually on stalks.
  • Crustaceans’ thorax consists of legs used for walking and feeding.
  • Crustaceans’ abdomen has legs, too, called swimmerets. Its ends are fan-shaped tail called the telson. Both are used to help them swim.
  • Crustaceans are bilaterally symmetrical and thus have segmented bodies, and they have more than four pairs of the jointed leg or known as appendages. Throughout the life cycles of the majority of crustaceans, the appendages undergo both morphological and functional changes. Antennules and antennae are typically sensory organs in adults, but in the Nauplius larvae stage, the antennae are frequently used for both swimming and feeding.
  • Most crustaceans are found in water. Diverse species can be found in freshwater, seawater, and even inland brines, which can have salt concentrations up to several times higher than seawater.
  • Various species can be found in muddy, sandy, and rocky terrain. Certain species are so tiny that they can fit between sand grains. Others burrow inside wooden buildings or the fronds of seaweed.

TAXONOMY: CRUSTACEAN

  • Branchiopods. Except for the water fleas (Cladocera), which are primarily marine, most of these are small, freshwater or brackish water creatures that eat plankton and debris.
  • Maxillopods. They are typically little animals with short bodies, a smaller-than-average abdomen, and typically no appendages like barnacles and copepods.
  • Ostracods. Most ostracods are zooplankton, whereas others reside in sediments at the bottom of lakes or oceans like mussel shrimps.
  • Malacostraca. With more than 25,000 species, this is the largest class of crustaceans, including Decapods (crabs, lobster, shrimp), Stomatopods (mantis shrimp), and  Euphausiids (krill). It can also be found on land and these are the Ampiphods (sand hoppers) and the Isopods (woodlice).
  • Remipedia. A very small group of crustaceans with only 20 living species divided across three families.
  • Cephalocarida. Benthic marine debris serves as the main source of food for these small crustaceans. There are only nine known species for this class.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFE CYCLE: CRUSTACEAN

  • The vast majority of crustaceans have distinct sexes and sexual reproduction. There are a few that are hermaphrodites. Some species might even change their sexual orientation at some point in their life cycle. Many species of crustaceans simply release the fertilized eggs into the water column, while other species have evolved a variety of defense mechanisms to keep the eggs in place until it is time for them to hatch.
  • The Nauplius Stage. Since the abdomen and thorax have not yet formed, this is the first larval stage for crustaceans, which only includes the head and telson of the animal. Three pairs of cephalic appendages that enable swimming are present on the nauplius, which only has one eye on top of its head.
  • The Zoea Stage. The larvae will swim during this stage using thoracic appendages rather than cephalic appendages.
  • The Megalopa Stage. Depending on which group of crustaceans are involved, the stage of growth that comes after the zoea stage of growth is either the mysis or megalopa stage. The majority of decapod crustaceans, such as lobster and crabs, reach the megalopa stage, where the carapace and thorax are developed.
  • The Adult Stage. For the majority of crustaceans, the adult development stage is reached by one year of age.

FOSSIL: CRUSTACEAN

  • Fossils are crucial for evolutionary studies because it provides a connection between geological ages and the phylogenetic of life.
  • The fossils of crustaceans are also significant. The Cambrian rocks, which were formed more than 500 million years ago, include the oldest fossilized crustaceans. Many of the Jurassic-era fossilized crustaceans that we find in England resemble the shrimp, crabs, and lobsters we see today.
  • Ostracods, a relatively specialized group of crustaceans, are the earliest definite fossils. Additionally, there are reference points from the Burgess Shales of the Cambrian Era.
  • Copepod crustaceans, a group of exceedingly common sea creatures, date to the late Carboniferous period, about 188 million years ago.
  • In Devonian Period (416 million to 359.2 million years ago), a shrimplike form called Palaeopalaemon, a decapod occurs while crayfish was believed to appear in the late Permian Period, 260.4 million to 251 million years ago.
  • The true crabs (infraorder Brachyura), one of the apex forms of crustacean evolution, do not appear until the Cretaceous period, 145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago.

FAMOUS DISHES: CRUSTACEAN

  • Humans eat a variety of crustaceans or collectively known as shellfish., especially the larger decapods (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and prawns), which are crucial to the human economy. Additionally, significant numbers of krill are caught.
  • Gambas Al Ajillo is a common Spanish snack consisting of shrimp sautéed in a skillet with minced garlic, lemon juice, paprika, and olive oil.
  • Chilli Crab began as a street food item, like many other foods in Asia, but it finally gained such a following that it is now regarded as Singapore‘s national dish. 
  • Maine Lobster is definitely one of a kind. When delicately cooked, steamed, or grilled with some hot, melted butter and a drizzle of lemon juice, Maine lobster, also known as true, northern, or American lobster, showcases the meat that is the earliest and is the most succulent, juicy, and tender.

FOOD ALLERGY: CRUSTACEAN

  • The most prevalent food allergy in kids and adults alike is a shellfish allergy, with shrimp being the most prominent allergen. One in every 200 Americans reports having a shellfish allergy, and most of these allergies last their entire lives. Symptoms may include swelling of the tongue, lips, or throat, as well as hives.
  • Anaphylaxis is the term used to describe the most serious allergic reaction. Breathing issues, a reduction in blood pressure, or shock are examples of symptoms that can lead to unconsciousness or even death.

Crustacean Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about crustaceans across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Crustaceans, which are marine animals belonging to the arthropod taxon.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Crustacean Facts
  2. Crossword Puzzle
  3. Truth Be Told
  4. Crusta Family
  5. Name My Body Parts
  6. Crustacean Life Cycle
  7. Crusta Word Twist
  8. Crustacean Species
  9. Ask A Crustacean
  10. Color Me Lobster
  11. Crusta Patrol

Frequently Asked Questions

What do crustaceans eat?

While many crustaceans scavenge for their food, some actively hunt for it. At night, crabs, shrimp, and prawns will search for food. They will look for food at midnight. During the day they prefer to stay hidden away in small spaces. Some crabs and lobsters even grow powerful claws which they use to grab stunning prey.

Do crustaceans have blood?

Crustaceans have an open circulatory system. This means that their blood is not all in vessels like ours. The blood circulates throughout the tissues and returns to the heart through openings.

How long can crustaceans live out of water?

Crustaceans have gills, similar to fish, which they use for respiration. But in contrast to fish, crustaceans can live out of water for extended periods – even more than 24 hours – as long their gills remain wet.

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Link will appear as Crustacean Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 22, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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