Crayfish Anatomy

4. food manipulation and water movement over the gills
9. balance and detecting their environment through touch, taste, and smell
10. primarily used for walking and defense, but can also be involved in grooming eggs and other sensory functions
11. hard, protective shell that covers its cephalothorax, shielding vital organs
12. an intromittent organ to transfer a spermatophore (sperm packet) to the female during mating
13. handling and manipulating food, holding it and passing it to the mandibles for crushing
14. help with rapid, backward swimming for escaping predators

1. used for offense and defense, capturing prey, and manipulating food
2. crucial for movement, reproduction, and carrying eggs
3. assist with swimming, creating water currents to oxygenate gills, and, in females, holding and aerating eggs
5. sensory organs for touch, taste, and smell, used for navigating, finding food, and detecting predators
6. primarily used for rapid backward swimming and steering by forming the "tail fan" with the telson
7. defense, capturing and handling prey, and reproductive activities (pincer)
8. crush and grind food into smaller pieces