To many people, crab is a type of food, but to others, this fascinating crustacean is something to learn more about. There are over 6,700 species, most of which can be found in various oceans across the world. Some particular crab types inhabit freshwater and even land. Here are some more interesting tidbits about crabs.

• They may look a bit like spiders, but crabs actually have 10 legs instead of eight- the first pair of legs (appendages) feature pincers- hence while they are sometimes called decapods (deca means ten).

• Crabs belong in the arthropod family along with insects and archanids. Members of this family have segmented appendages.

• Crabs actually have their teeth inside their stomach.

• Adult male crabs are often called jimmies, and adult female crabs are called sooks.

• Generally, crabs usually live up to three years, but some pet crabs can live up two 20 years

• Land Hermit Crabs are generally the one type of crab that are kept as pets simply because they thrive on land. But don’t confuse these with Sea Hermit Crabs, which thrive in water.

• The smallest of the decapod species is the Pea Crab which measures about a few millimeters in length.

• The largest of the decapod species is the Japanese Spider Crab, which can measure up to a body length of 15 inches and a leg span of 13 feet.

• Crabs often communicate with one another by drumming or waving their pincers.

• If a crab loses an appendage, it will grow another one.

• Most crabs are omnivores- which means they eat both plants an animals. But some crabs are vegetarian (they eat algae), and other are carnivores.

• The following types of crabs are not considered true crabs because they don’t have ten appendages: horse shoe crabs, king crabs, hermit crabs, and porcelain  crabs.

• Crabs don’t walk forward, they run sideways.

Jellyfish aren’t actually a “fish” – they are Cnidarians, which is a phylum of stinging aquatic creatures. Jellyfish are fascinating animals – from a distance! You wouldn’t want to get too close to one; their stings can be deadly!

Can you believe that these simple aquatic animals live without eyes, ears, or a brain? They use their nervous systems to detect the touch of other animals. A jellyfish has a “bell”, which produces jelly and encloses its stomach pouch. The mouth of a jellyfish lies on the underside of the bell. Oral arms dangle around the mouth, and tentacles hang around the rim of the bell. The arms and tentacles are covered in cells that can sting or kill its prey.

Jellyfish are drifters: they rely on the ocean’s current to get from one place to another. Some jellies can propel themselves through the water by pulsating their bells. Jellies eat the zooplankton and small fish that gets in its path.

The smallest known jellyfish is the Irukandji, which is extremely poisonous. This small jellyfish only measures 1-½ inches across. The Irukandji can be very deadly because it is almost invisible – swimmers don’t realize they’ve been stung until it’s too late.

The largest jellyfish is the Lion’s Mane jellyfish. These giants of the sea are found in the northern Arctic waters, northern Pacific, and northern Atlantic oceans. In 1870, the largest recorded Lion’s Mane jellyfish washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay; the bell of this jelly measured eight-feet across, and the tentacles were 120 feet long!