Meet the Crayfish
Handling Crayfish
Approach the crayfish from behind
Grab the crayfish behind the
pincers
It may try to reach back but it will
not be able to touch you if you
grab it in the right place
If you are scared of touching them,
you may use a spoon to help you
get them.
Do not let the crayfish fall off your
desk.
Introduce the Crayfish
Organism
It is ok for the crayfish to be out of the water 1 to 2
minutes.
Explore the crayfish for a few minutes.
Observing Crayfish
Do you notice any interesting parts on the
crayfish?
The different parts are called structures.
Structures - the observable parts of an organism.
Fill out the crayfish structures sheet by observing
your crayfish.
Questions
In what ways are the pincers and walking legs
different? In what ways are they alike?
Where else have you seen bristles?
Where are the joints in our legs? How does that
compare to a crayfish?
Differences
Do you notice any differences among the
crayfish you have?
Crayfish Body Parts
Crustaceans - a class of mostly aquatic animals that
have hard flexible shells, jointed legs, and two pairs of
antennae.
Antennae - the feelers on a crayfish
Bristles - the short hairs on a crayfish that help them
sense things in their environment.
Carapace - the main body shell of Crustaceans.
Crayfish Body Parts
Swimmerets - small leg-like structures under a
crayfish tail.
Pincers - big jointed leg-like structures in front of
the crayfish.
Notes
What structures have you observed on the
crayfish?
Legs, eyes, antennae, a carapace,
swimmerets,
Identify Crayfish parts
p. 25
Crayfish Needs
What do we need to know about crayfish in order
to keep them here in our classroom?
Feedings
Water
Air
Space
Togetherness
Habitat
Habitat - the place where an animal lives.
In their natural habitat, crayfish find their own
food and shelter. But in the classroom they must
be fed and provided with a suitable habitat.
Elodea - a kind of aquatic plant that crayfish eat.
Classroom Crayfish
Habitat
The water must be cool. There can be no direct
sunlight.
We must change the water every so often to
keep it clean.
There will be aquatic plants in the bus tubs
continuously for food.
The crayfish also eat cat food, which must be fed
to them in a separate container.
Notes
What do crayfish need for a healthy habitat?
Crayfish need clean, cool water; food from
plants, animals, and shelter.
Complete science
journal page 33
Crayfish Observations
Today we will observe crayfish to find out what
they do. What do crayfish do when something
happens to them? What do they do when you
bring a hand close, place them outside of the
water, place another crayfish nearby?
Procedure
Get a small basin with 3-4cm of water.
Select the crayfish you will observe.
Observe the crayfish for 5 minutes.
Sharing
What did you observe the crayfish doing?
These are called behaviors. Behaviors are
things that animals do.
Fill out the crayfish behavior sheet with your
group.
Notes
What do crayfish do when something happens to
them?
Behaviors such as raising their pincers,
flipping their tail, or walking forward.
Crayfish Houses
What do you think the crayfish are using for their
houses for?
Do all crayfish hide in the houses?
Does each crayfish have its own house that it
always goes to?
Do two crayfish hide in the same house?
How can we find out for sure?
Plan
Secure the crayfish houses in specific locations
in the habitat trays.
Observe the crayfish once a day to find their
location.
Record the location on the crayfish habitat sheet.
Territory
Territory - when an animal moves into a place in
its habitat and defends it against others.
Patterns
Did any of the crayfish establish a territory in the
habitat? How do you know?
What other animals behave like crayfish in some
ways?
Notes
Does each crayfish have its own house that it
always goes into?
Some animals establish territories that they
defend.