Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Arthropods

A main theme of The Grade 6 Ocean Discovery Program is the study of marine arthropods, such as hermit crabs, green crabs, and lobsters.  Students learn the three main characteristics of arthropods are: an exoskeleton, jointed appendages, and a segmented body.  Another interesting fact that students often learn is how to tell the males from the females.     
·         Lobster – look at the top two swimmerets on the underside of a lobster, a female’s are feathery, while a male’s are long, hard sticks.
·         Crabs – on the underside of the crab look for the triangle, a female’s is wide, while a male’s is tall and skinny.

For more information on the Grade 6 Ocean Discovery Program and how you can get your students hands-on with live marine arthropods visit our website, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/grade_6.html.

Top pair of swimmerets of a female and male lobster.

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