A Crayfish, better known as a crawfish, is an aquatic creature well known for its succulent flavor. They have been harvested and consumed for a very long time; however, the first ever recorded harvest of crayfish was in 1880, in the United States of America. Being a staple meat source in the seafood industry, it is known for its amazing quality as a protein and vitamin provider with a very low calorie count. However, the only health issue with crayfish is its cholesterol levels. In this paper, we will be discussing crayfish’s external and internal anatomy and its interesting living habits. A crayfish is closely related to a lobster and is a crustacean in the family Decapodae. It is covered in a large exoskeleton that is…show more content… The crayfish has a head and thorax that is conjoined with a subdivided body with a long tail. It has compound eyes that are lifted off the pointed head on mobile stems. Crayfish have five sets of limbs with the front pair ending in large, sharp claws meant for defending themselves or tearing apart their food into smaller pieces to eat. The rest of the appendages are for swimming or moving about in the water. Although most crayfish are about three inches long, they can be as large as almost sixteen inches and some can be as small as less than an inch. The crayfish has a very interesting internal anatomy. It has little to almost nothing in the brain, because it mainly functions off of its instinctual nervous system. It also has a green gland, which is its main excretory system. Crayfish also have two stomachs. The first stomach stores and digests its food; the second stomach further digests the food with acids and routes it to the green gland. Its heart has only one chamber, which means it is neurogenic. It has an open system, this is why it has an exoskeleton to protect its vulnerable veins and arteries. It’s open system allows the blood to travel unrestrained throughout the body,
