invertebrates: they don’t have a backbone or
internal skeleton; and most of them don’t
swim much. Their body tissues are therefore
organized differently, undergo different kinds
of seasonal changes, and require special
treatment from the cook.
Crustaceans: Shrimps, Lobsters, Crabs, and Relatives
Crustaceans are the shellfish that have legs
and sometimes claws: shrimps and prawns,
lobsters and crayfish, and crabs. Like the
molluscs, the crustaceans are an ancient and
successful group of animals. There were
primitive shrimps 200 million years ago;
today there are some 38,000 crustacean
species, the largest with a claw span of 12
feet/4 meters! The crustaceans are members
of the large animal group known as
arthropods, and are relatives of the insects.
Like the insects, they have a body made up of
several segments, a hard outer cuticle, or