Snow crabs are a large, coldwater species of crab that can be found on soft mud bottoms throughout the North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic oceans. Like other crustaceans, their “shell” is actually their skeleton which is found on the outside of their body and is called an exoskeleton. In order to grow, they must shed … Read more
Humboldt squid are a large squid that lives throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are part of the flying squid family and are known to eject themselves out of the water to escape from predators. While these squid were once found no further north than California, warming waters along the coast of British Columbia have … Read more
Like other octopuses, the giant Pacific octopus is extremely intelligent and has been observed opening jars and are even known to recognize caregivers in captivity. This makes sense considering they have nine brains! They also have eight arms and three hearts. Two of the three hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third circulates … Read more
Northern shrimp, also commonly known as northern prawn, are a sequential hermaphrodite. This is a term used for animals that start their life as one sex and change to the other later in life. In the case of northern shrimp, they are born as males and become females at around four or five years of … Read more
American lobster, unlike most invertebrates, have teeth. However, these teeth aren’t located in their mouths – they are in their stomach. Their stomach chews food using what looks like molars, called a “gastric mill.” Lobster has not always been a sought-after seafood, in fact, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was so cheap that … Read more
Dungeness crabs are a crustacean species. Like all arthropods, they have an “exoskeleton” (a skeleton on the outside of their body), segmented body parts and jointed appendages. Because their skeleton is outside of their body, arthropods must grow a new exoskeleton and shed their old one as they grow; a process called molting. When people … Read more