Did you know that crustaceans can be as tiny as 1 millimeter or as large as 12 feet wide; can be found in the ocean, on land, or in the trees; and some can strike an opponent as fast as a 22-caliber bullet and produce heat almost as hot as the sun?
Welcome to the amazing world of Crustaceans!
These armed and armored animals have strong, light-weight exoskeletons that have inspired the structure of safety helmets and the bodies of automobiles. The Mantis shrimp can stun its prey with “smashers” that move as fast as 20 meters per second in water and have been known to crack aquarium glass. And if you’ve ever been pinched by your pet hermit crab, you know these guys can take care of themselves.
Yet these hardened, diverse creatures have a soft side, too. Crustaceans continuously grow and shed their exoskeletons in a process called molting. During this time they are extremely vulnerable and utilize a completely different type of skeletal support system that uses water or air to move their bodies – making them more like worms, sea anemones, and even balloons, than armed warriors.
Watch this fascinating program with Scripps Oceanography marine biologist Jennifer Taylor as she describes research on crustacean biomechanics and tells us how 500 million years of evolution has shaped crustaceans into the remarkable array of animals we see on Earth today.
Armed and Armored: The Amazing Evolutionary Story of Crustaceans.