Crab

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/crab

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Infraorder Brachyura
2. What is the diet?Primarily omnivorous and opportunistic scavengers; also predators, herbivores, and detritivores
3. What makes crabs different from other sea animals?Crabs have a short, folded abdomen tucked under a hard shell, and they walk sideways with strong claws.
4. How do crabs help keep the ocean clean?They eat dead plants and animals, breaking them down so the ocean stays clean.

Ecdysis: The physiological process of shedding the exoskeleton to allow for growth in arthropods.
Chelipeds: The first pair of appendages in decapods, modified into claws used for defense, feeding, and mating.
Benthic: Relating to or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.