Crustacean

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/crustacean

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?Crustacea. This subphylum is part of the larger phylum Arthropoda
2. What is the habitat?Ubiquitous in marine and freshwater environments; terrestrial species inhabit moist microclimates
3. What are crustaceans and what makes them special?They are animals with hard shells and many legs, living in water and on land. They have a hard exoskeleton that protects them and lets their muscles move.
4. Why do crustaceans have two pairs of antennae?Unlike insects, crustaceans usually have two pairs of antennae, which help them sense their surroundings.

Ecdysis: The physiological process of shedding an exoskeleton, allowing for growth in arthropods.
Biramous Appendages: Limb structures that divide into two distinct branches, a common ancestral feature in crustaceans.
Cephalothorax: A body section formed by the fusion of the head and thorax, characteristic of many crustaceans.
Zooplankton: Microscopic animals that drift in aquatic environments, forming a crucial link in food webs.