Anatomy

Crayfish Anatomy

Crayfish have exellent vision because of their compound eyes, but some are blind. They also have eye stalks. They can also regenerate their eyes if they lose one. They have 2 types of antenna, but 4 in all. Crayfish use their antennas to feel,and taste, and they are touch receptent or they can sense things. They have gills to help them breathe, but they are not fish. They are crustaceans, related to the crab and lobster. The crayfish has a cephalathorax. The cephalathorax is actually the abdomen and the thorax together. The abdomen is below the thorax. The 5 part tailfan is in the back of the abdomen. The tailfan can help the crayfish move back //very// quickly by pushing the tailfan just under the abdomen and pulling it out from under. If you scare the crayfish, you better watch out! The crayfish has 2 pincers that are like claws. The crayfish also uses these pincers to pick up food and to fight. Newley hached crayfish are about 1/3 inches long. Adult crayfish can grow longer than 6 inches,but the Tasmanian crayfish can grow over 24 in length and weigh over 10 pounds. Crayfish can molt 6 to 14 times. After they molt you can see the exoskeleton. Male crayfish have extra swimmerets and they are usually bigger than females.

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