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Scientific Name: Paguroidea

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Infraorder: Anomura

Related To: crabs, lobsters, and shrimp, but more related to squat lobsters than true crabs

Habitat:

- Found in oceans worldwide (marine hermit crabs)

- Some live on land but return to the sea to breed (terrestrial hermit crabs)

- Shallow coastal waters, tidal pools, and sandy or rocky shorelines

Lifestyle:

Diet: Algae, decaying matter, small animals, and leftover scraps

How They Eat: Use their claws to pick up and tear food

How They Live: Use empty snail shells (or other hollow objects) for protection

Switch shells as they grow

Sometimes fight over shells or steal them from others

Defensive/Offensive Mechanisms:

- Hide inside their adopted shell when threatened

- Use one large claw to block the shell entrance

- Some place sea anemones on their shells for extra protection

Unique Structures:

- Asymmetrical abdomen that twists to fit into spiral shells

- One claw usually larger than the other

- Vulnerable back without a hard exoskeleton

Other Interesting Facts:

- Land hermit crabs can live for over 30 years

- They are social and often live in groups

- Some species form "vacancy chains" lining up and swapping shells in size order

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Mantis Shrimp

Class:Malacostraca

Scientific name:Stomatopoda

Order:Stomatopoda;Latreille,1817

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Scientific name: Paguroidea

Classification: Arthropoda, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Anomura

Relatives: Related to other crustaceans, like crabs, lobsters, and prawns

Habitat: Hermit crabs live in coastal areas like mudflaps and beaches, as well as tropical coastlines

Lifestyle: They are opportunistic omnivores and they eat most anything they can find - they can either grab food with their claws or filter food particles out of the water.

Mechanisms: Hermit crabs have a protective shell used for defense, and can also pinch things with their claws (their left claw is especially strong, they are left handed!!)

Structures: Their borrowed shell is a unique part of this species, and they also lack a hard carapace over their abdomen, unlike true crabs.

Facts: Hermit crabs outgrow their shells and have “trading parties” where they will trade with other hermit crabs for a shell that fits them better - this is where they get their name, “Hermit”.

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name: Limulidae

Phylum, Subphylum, Order

related to spiders, scorpions and tics

lives in coastal waters and Atlantic ocean

they eat worms, clams and algee

they hunt by using there compound eyes, can hunt for small animals

they have a hard exoskeleton

unique tail like spine used for balance

blood is very valuable in medicine

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Common Name: Fiddler Crab

Scientific Name: Uca spp

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Infraorder: Brachyura

Fiddler crabs are crustaceans, closely related to other crabs, shrimp, and lobsters.

Males have one large claw. It is not used for feeding but can be used to fight off rivals or intimidate threats.

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Scientific name: Limulidae

Classification which is specified below for each animal: Merostomata

What kind of animals they are related to: Spiders and scorpions

Habitat where they live: North America, along the Atlantic, Maine to Mexico

Lifestyle: They live off small crabs, shrimps, clams, snails, mussels, and more. They eat these animals by crushing them with their feet and using their pinchers to move the foot to their mouth. They are scavengers and use their legs to move across and in the sand.

Defensive or offensive: They look intimidating but possess defensive mechanisms.

Unique structure: Their body is separated into three sections.

Other unique information: They have multiple eyes and can swim upside down.

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Scientific name: Stomatopoda

Classification: Arthropoda Hoplocarida Malacostraca

Related to: crabs, lobsters, other crustaceans

Habitat: tropical and subtropical waters, Indo-Pacific region

Lifestyle: they eat live fish, crabs, worms, and other small invertebrates. They are also able to eat other mantis shrimp. They use their claws to punch prey. They also stab prey.

Defense: their ability to punch with their claws, which are very powerful.

Unique structures: Claws are able to punch hard enough to vaporize water.

Unique features: They are very colorful and have every color in the rainbow.

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Scientific name: Palinuridae

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order Decapoda

Related to: Slipper lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and crayfish

Habitat: Rocky coastals, coral reefs, kelp forests, usually at sea floor

Diet: Soft plankton, snails, crabs, clams. They are nocturnal animals and they hunt/scavenge at night. They use their large eyes and antennas to find their food.

Defense Mechanisms: They hide in crevices easily and use their exoskeletons to defend themselves.

Unique Structure: Unlike normal lobsters, they don't have large front claws, but large antennae instead.

Unique facts: They have two cream-colored circles on the second segment of their tail, making them easy to identify.

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Scientific name: Paguroidea

Phylum: Arthropod

Class: Malacostracans

Order: Decapods

Infraorder: Anomura

Hermit crabs are more closely related to squat lobsters than to true crabs.

They live close to the shoreline and must have access to both land and water

Diet: omnivorous scavengers, fruits, vegetables, and proteins like meat and fish

How they hunt: Scavengers and opportunistic feeders

Hermit crabs primarily use their shells for both defense and offense.

They have soft, non-calcified abdomen, which necessitates them carrying a shell for protection. Additionally, they have chelipeds and legs for gripping the shell and maneuvering within it.

They don't grow their own protective shell like other crabs; instead, they find discarded shells to live in

Can live 30+ years

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Scientific name: Palinuridae

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Relatations: other crustaceans mainly the true lobster

Habitat: coastal areas with rocky reefs, coral reefs, and kelp forests

Diet: crabs, clams, snails, urchins, and worms

How they eat: spiny front legs to shovel food into their mouth

How they hunt/scavenge: nocturnal, and they use their long antenna to feel for movement

Defensive/offensive techniques: Antenna based sounds, spiny exoskeleton for protection

Unique structures: spiny exoskeleton and long antenna

Interesting facts: they don't have large claws like true lobsters do

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Mantis Shrimp

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Subclass: Hoplocarida

Related to crabs, lobsters, and true shrimp

Live in shallow, tropical and subtropical habitats.

They are predators that ambush from burrows and will knock out their pray and/or dismember them. Prey includes fish, shrimp, and worms.

Mantis Shrimp tremendously powerful claws that can punch with 1500 newtons of force, similar to a 22. caliber bullet. The shape of their claws classifies into groups based on how they attack their prey: Spearers, Smashers, Hammers, and Hatchet. The names of these suggest as to how their claws function, however often times they can be dumbed down to Spearers and Smashers.

Mantis Shrimp usually grow to about 10 cm in length, however Zebra Mantis Shrimps can grow up to 38 cm, with the largest record being 40 cm.

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phylum: arthropoda

class: merostomata

scientific name: Limulidae

related to other arthropods such as spiders

Habitat: along the Atlantic coast from Maine to the Yucatan in Mexico

Unique: They have two large compound eyes found on top of carpace

Lifestyle: Spend most their time on the shore surrounded by rough waters in coves, living off small marine life such as clams and mussels.

Offensive mechanism: They crush their prey with their feet and have pinchers

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Phylum: Artropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Amphipoda

Related Animals: Isopods, Copepods, shrimp and crabs.

Habitat: Marine (shallow coastal waters to deep trenches) and in some fresh water.

Lifestyle and Diet: Dead plant and animal matter, Algae, microorganisms. They use gnathopods to grab their food. They scavenge the ocean floor.

Defensive/Offensive Mechanisms:

Camouflage: many amphibious are semi transparent or blend into their surroundings(sand,Algae,etc) to avoid predators

Speed and agility: their laterally compressed bodies make them great swimmers, they dart away quickly from danger

curling up: some species curl into a ball like shape, protecting softer underparts

Chemical defenses: a few deep sea Amphipods have been found to secrete toxic or repellent substances to deter predators.

Gnathopods: their first or second pair of legs are modified for feeding or grasping. in some species males have enlarged gnathopods used in mating displays or combat.

laterally compressed body: their bodies are flattened side to side aiding in swift movement through narrow spaces.

Uropods: paired appendages at the tail end help with stabilization and steering while swimming

Setae(hair like structures): on their legs and antennae used for sensing the environment, filtering food or grooming.

they are flat

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Scientific name: Palinuridae

Phylum: Arthropod

Class: Malacostracans

Order: Decapods

Relatives: Different types of shrimp, crabs, and crayfish

Habitat: Bays, coral reefs, warm, and tropical waters

Lifestyle: Eat different marine invertebrates, they prowl on the sea bed looking for prey, and they hunt by using their antenna which is long to detect movement

Defensive Mechanisms: Use long antenna to slap predators, also exoskeleton which is covered in spines, and tail flips

Offensive Mechanism: Uses chemical signaling through urine

Unique Structure: Spiny/long antennae

Unique Information: Long antennas, and large pincers

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Order: Decapoda

Class: Malacostraca

Phylum: Arthropoda

Habitat: Undisturbed,

shallow tropical and sub-tropical waters and live in reef recesses, overhangs, ledges, reef crevices.

Feed on: carrion from fish, molluscs, echinoderms, marine invertebrate, detritus, marine and aquatic worms, aquatic crustaceans and macro algae

Traits: sub-cylindrical shape which has numerous long front-facing spines, and rostral horns point forward over the stalked compound eyes located at

the front of the head

Color: The body colour can range from tan or grey, spotted with brown, black, green, red or purple spots

Defense: When threatened by predators screeching sounds are made by scraping the antennae against the plates around the bottom of the eyes

Engage in defensive ring behaviour together.

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Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostracans

Relative: Squat lobsters

Habitat: Variety of environments but mostly coastal regions

Lifestyle:

what- Fruit, vegetables, insects, and meat

how- Scavenge and filter microscopic food from water using bristly mouth parts

Defensive & Offensive: Retreat into their shells for protection and use their claws for protection, food, and communicate

Unique Structure: Don't have a hard exoskeleton

Unique Fact: Abdomens are twisted

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scientific name: Uca

classification: phylum, class, order, infraorder

relatives: Fiddler crabs are most closely related to ghost crabs

habitat: Fiddler crabs are most commonly found in shallow salt marshes and along the edges of coastal mudflats and sandy beaches.

lifestyle: Fiddler crabs are intertidal creatures that live in burrows in salt marshes and coastal areas, spending much of their time foraging in the intertidal zone.

mechanisms: Fiddler crabs have several defensive and offensive mechanisms. Male fiddler crabs possess a greatly enlarged claw, used for both defense and mate attraction. They also defend their burrows from other crabs and potential predators, using their burrows as a refuge. Additionally, they exhibit a multi-stage escape response when detecting a potential predator, including freezing, escaping, and bracing

structures: large, asymmetrical claw in males, the specialized compound eyes, and the sedimentary structures they build around their burrows.

unique traits: Fiddler crabs are unique for several reasons, including their extreme sexual dimorphism (males have one much larger claw), their use of that claw for mating displays and territorial defense, and their burrowing behavior. They also play a vital role in the salt marsh ecosystem, affecting nutrient cycling and aeration through their burrowing activity