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(^4) LOBSTER
Weighed down by their heavy shells,
lobsters usually walk on the sea floor,
but they can swim backwards to
escape danger by flipping their tails.
Like all crustaceans, they have to
moult (shed) their hard exoskeletons
several times as they grow.
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Lobster can regrow
claws and legs if
they break off
Tough curved plates
protect soft parts of
the woodlouse’s body
used for swimmingFan-shaped tail
Prawns use their two
large eyes to detect
movements in water
Transparent
exoskeleton
Female woodlouse keeps
fertilized eggs in a pouch
on the underside of her
body until they hatch
Claw curved at
end to aid grip
Claws used for gripping
and shredding food
(^5) WOODLOUSE
Woodlice are among the only
crustaceans that are completely at
home on land, but they must live in
damp places. They have seven pairs of
legs and some species can roll themselves
into a ball if they feel threatened. Despite
their name, they do not damage wood.
(^6) PRAWN
Many prawns and shrimps swim or
drift in the water, but others spend
most of their lives searching for food
on the sea bed. Some specialize in
picking bloodsucking parasites off
the fish that live on coral reefs, which
queue to be cleaned up.
Hard carapace,
covers head
and thorax
Shorter antennae detect
odours in the water to help
the lobster find food or a mate
Four pairs of
walking legs
5
6
Toothed crusher claw
pulverizes shells
Long antennae
used for sensing
surroundings
032_033_Crustaceans.indd 33 03/01/19 12:09 PM

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