Dissection Write-up
Feeding Habits
Horseshoe crabs are predominantly predators they eat, small clams, crustaceans, and sea worms. They will also on occasion eat algae. When feeding due to the fact that they do not have teeth they crush their food with their legs before it passes through their mouth.
Life Stages
Horseshoe crabs will reproduce until they die at an age of approximately 20 to 40 years. Males reach sexual maturity at 9 to 11 years of age, and females reach sexual maturity at 10 to 12 years. the male fertilizes the eggs the eggs develop then the larva emerge from the eggs. The larva molt at 2o days after they hatch, and will now molt annual for the rest of their lives as a horseshoe crab.
Horseshoe crabs are predominantly predators they eat, small clams, crustaceans, and sea worms. They will also on occasion eat algae. When feeding due to the fact that they do not have teeth they crush their food with their legs before it passes through their mouth.
Life Stages
Horseshoe crabs will reproduce until they die at an age of approximately 20 to 40 years. Males reach sexual maturity at 9 to 11 years of age, and females reach sexual maturity at 10 to 12 years. the male fertilizes the eggs the eggs develop then the larva emerge from the eggs. The larva molt at 2o days after they hatch, and will now molt annual for the rest of their lives as a horseshoe crab.
Ecosystem
The horseshoe crabs live in the Atlantic ocean on the east coast of the Unites States and Mexico. They like to live on sandy beaches because they are the best egg laying habitat. They prefer bays protected from wave energy for spawning. They lay an average of 4,000 eggs. They like sandy flats in shallow water as juveniles.
The horseshoe crabs live in the Atlantic ocean on the east coast of the Unites States and Mexico. They like to live on sandy beaches because they are the best egg laying habitat. They prefer bays protected from wave energy for spawning. They lay an average of 4,000 eggs. They like sandy flats in shallow water as juveniles.
Observed Starfish Dissection
Observations and Reactions
I did not know that a starfish had 2 stomachs I thought that it just had the one stomach that came outside of its self.
Before this dissection I had a verry limited knowledge of the inner workings of a starfish other than the hydraulic system and the exterior stomach. I found it hard to pick out the different organs and components of the animals in the dissections because all of the fluids and defining colors that go along with them had been removed from the tissue.
I did not know that a starfish had 2 stomachs I thought that it just had the one stomach that came outside of its self.
Before this dissection I had a verry limited knowledge of the inner workings of a starfish other than the hydraulic system and the exterior stomach. I found it hard to pick out the different organs and components of the animals in the dissections because all of the fluids and defining colors that go along with them had been removed from the tissue.