Crustacean Commination
Crustaceans are an enormous and diverse phylum with nearly 100,000 different species. Nearly 10,000 species of Crustaceans measure less than 4 millimeters but some grow to be 4 pounds. Crustaceans began their reign in the water, but, like many other species have done before, some Crustaceans have adapted to land and to other niches in the world.Crustaceans include lobsters, crayfish, krill, water fleas, crabs, and a wide variety of lesser-known organisms.
Though there is a great diversity among the Crustaceans, there is also a great diversity and danger in their threats. Crayfish, for example, are the second most endangered group of plants and animals in North America. Many species of shrimp and crabs are endangered due to overfishing and pollution. There are also some species of amphipods such as the federally endangered Noel's amphipod are affected by a very small range of living space that shrinks every year. According to the ICU, one third of all Crustaceans are endangered. This phylum that was formed 600 million years ago is shrinking due to human activities and a change needs to come to save these ancient crawlers.
N.a. "Crustaceans." WildEarth Guardians. Don Montgomery, n.d. Web. 15 June 2017.
I was unaware of the diversity of the phylum. Before, when I thought of crustaceans, crabs and maybe lobsters would come to mind, but now I understand that there are many other species that would be considered a crustacean.
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