Preparing for Our Crayfish

We are getting ready to welcome a new group of crayfish to our classroom. To prepare, we are reading from our FOSS Structures of Life textbook.  Here is what we have learned:

• The mother crayfish keeps the eggs under her tail until they hatch. 
• Crayfish are completely covered by a hard shell.
• Most crayfish stay on the bottom of rivers. 
• The main part of the body is the hard shell. 
• Crayfish are members of a group called crustaceans. 
• Crayfish are easy to keep in classrooms.  They only need clean water and food. 
• The hard shell has bumps, points, and bristles. 
• When a crayfish comes out of its old shell, there is a new one already on. 
• The babies are transparent (see through), so you can't see them well. 
• To tell a male from a female, you have to look on the bottom side. 
• Crayfish have skeletons on the outside of their body. 
• When a crayfish is threatened, it will raise its pincers up. 
• A crayfish will molt 6-8 times during its life. 
• Crayfish can also use their pincers to catch other live organisms and food. 
• Crayfish find food with their antennas.