Hastings Witt

English, Science

Friday October 15th

Blue Crab a.k.a. Callinectes sapidus

    The Callinectes sapidus more commonly known as the Blue Crab. This organism is most commonly found in estuaries with brackish waters. They can be found in various depths from the low tide line to 120 feet deep in the ocean. This organism’s Domain is Eukaryote and its Kingdom is Animalia. Its phylum is arthropod and its class is is Malacostraca. Its order is decapod and its family is Portunidae. Finally its genus is Callinectes and its species is sapidus. This organism has many adaptations such as its big claws that help the crab grab food and defend its habitat, this is a structural adaptation, which means a physical adaptation. Another one is its adaptations is its hard shell which protects its soft center, this is a structural adaptation. Also this organism has hind appendages which are like paddles to help it swim better, this is a structural adaptation. Also, this organism has many different characteristics but some of the most striking are that the front of its body is bright blue. It has ten legs with two main claws on its front side. The claws are bigger that any of its other legs. This organism is endothermic which means it is warm blooded. Also this organism has bilateral symmetry that means that it can be divided into two symmetrical parts and they should be mirror images. Some adaptations that One interesting fact about this organism is that it attracts males with a liquid substance in its urine. This organism is heterotrophic and that means it eats producers and or smaller heterotrophs. Some of this organisms predators are Red Drum, Atlantic Croaker fish, Herons, Sea Turtles, and humans. I can’t wait to learn more about this organism and other organisms too!       Blue Crab!