An arthropod is an invertebrate that comes with an exoskeleton along with a segmented body with jointed limbs. The unique part is that these species must molt or shed their external layer which is the exoskeleton since their exoskeleton does not grow well. The name of the animal is derived from Greek words meaning ‘joint’ and ‘leg’. The exoskeleton of an arthropod is made up of chitin, which is a glucosamine polymer and approximately 5 million arthropod species are present in the world. Arthropods are divided into five subphyla such as chelicerates, myriapods, crustaceans, hexapods, and trilobites. The trilobites are now extinct. Here are the interesting facts about arthropods,
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Arthropods Facts
- Centipedes are one of the types of arthropods also known as myriapods, however, not all centipedes have 100 legs. Millipedes are also arthropods but they did not have more than 750 legs.
- The exoskeletons of arthropods are joined together which makes it possible for them to move about nimbly.
- Arthropods are divided into 13 classes of that including crustaceans, insects, arachnids, centipedes, millipedes, sea spiders, pauropods, symphylans, springtails, proturans, two-pronged bristletails, three-pronged bristletails, and king crabs.
- Arthropods always try to molt in a safe environment since they are very vulnerable once they shed their exoskeleton.
- These animals try to exist in the harshest conditions in the world starting from very cold paces to some of the hottest places across the world. For example, A scorpion, which is an arthropod, can survive even after being frozen solid.
- The most common arthropods are spiders, insects, mites, ticks, shrimp, lobster, scorpions, crayfish, and barnacles.
- Arthropods are believed to have existed or evolved half a billion years ago.
- One of the subphyla, Trilobites which is now extinct believed to have existed during the Paleozoic Era. Nowadays, thier fossils are some of the most popular among archaeologists.
- Arthropods are most vulnerable during the molting process and it has been estimated that approximately 80 to 90% of them are consumed by a predator during this stage.
- Arthropods can fly, crawl, or creep and live in the water or on dry land depending on the different species.
These are interesting facts about arthropods. Kindly share and do post your comments.