Group+1

"This is for group 1 - Julian's group __//**Different facts**//__

Crabs are mambers of the cratacean family;lobsters and shrimp are related to them.There are a total of about 4,500 species of crabs. Crabs will eat any plants or animals small enough to fit into their mouths.Crabs have the ability to move about sideways and burrow into the sand.Some crabs can swim pretty well too.many different crabs scuttle across the ocean floor.However not all crabs live underwater.Hermit crabs for instance,find snail shells that have abandonedand make these shells into their homes.Like flies, crabs possess compound eyes,which allow them to see quite well.Their sense of smell is well develop,as is their sence of taste, and they know a good meal is coming from a distance.

__//**Body parts**//__

A crab has three main parts on its body.It is hard to see those parts if you look at the crab from above.You have to turn the crab over to see the parts because the carapace covers it.A carapace is the main part of the body where the shell is hard.Its head and the middle part of the body are called thorax.The cephalothorax (ce-fa-lo-tho-rax) is what joins the head and the middle section together. The legs are mostly used for transportation.The front two legs of the crab are the closest to its head. They are sometimes used for walking but mostly used for walking but mostly used for eating. Those two legs are called chelipeds ( selepias).The claw on the chelipeds is called chela. The chelas are used to grasp or hold something.The pinching part located on the front of the crab's body is the claws.The claws help the crabs catch their prey. Sometimes, crabs get so scared of humans that when they pinch the person their claws break off. Soon after a claw breaks off,a new one will grow.Crabs have soft inner layers and a hard outer layer.Animals with this type of body are also known as crustaceans ( crust- ta- ceans). Crustaceans are also known as decapods. Decapods are lofooted animals, other decapods are lobsters and shrimps.

//**__Reproduction of crabs__**//

When a male and female crab mate, many female decapod crabs can store the male sperm until her eggs are redy to be released. When the eggs are released, the stored sperm flows over them and they become fertilised. The female crab holds the fertilised eggs in a big spongy mass between its abdominal flap and the body. The eggs are cemented to the pleopods, which are small legs, creating the "berried" appearence. To keep the eggs healthy, the female crab continually "waves" water over the eggs with the pleopods. When the eggs hatch into zoea larve, they drift away in the ocean currents as plankton. As the juvenile crab grows in size, it goes through a series of moults, each larval stage changing form and function as it grows in a process called metamorphosis. At each moult, more segments are added to the end, and the feathered limbs are replaced by the clawed limbs. The megalops stage more closely resembles the adult decapod crab.

__**Where they live**__

Blue crabs live in estuaries along the eastern coast of Nourth and South America.Crabs like brakish water.It is a mixture of salt and fresh water.

Blue crabs are scavengers. They eat edible wastes in the water. Crabs can also be predators. They eat shellfish beds and seaweed. They will also eat snails,mussels and decayed vegetation. __Fun facts__ 1) The crabs teeth are in its stomach. 2) Average crabs live no longer than 3 years.