Some crayfish fake out their opponents with their gigantic right claws, suggests new research showing that these big claws aren't always as strong as they should be for their size. The slender crayfish, Cherax dispar, fights with other males over territory. They start these bouts of aggression by assessing each...

Four new species of crab that sport some wild colors have been discovered near the Philippine island of Palawan. The newfound species are threatened by mining activities in the region, which is one of the world's major biodiversity hotspots, its discoverers said. About half of the species that live on...

Aspiring marine biologists recently got a taste of the joys (and the occasional discomfort) of real fieldwork during an annual horseshoe crab census in Delaware. Freshmen in the University of Delaware's first class of marine science majors fanned out across beaches in Delaware Bay in mid-May to count the throngs...

Mantis Shrimp (Image credit: Jenny/Wikimedia Commons)The colorful mantis shrimp Gonodactylus smithii. Researchers compare mantis shrimp to heavily armored caterpillars. Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Image credit: S. Baron)The peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus from the Indo-Pacific boasts strong, hammer-like claws. Peacock Mantis (Image credit: Chris K Horne, Shutterstock)Peacock mantis shrimp are solitary...

If sea creatures were Marvel comic book characters, the peacock mantis shrimp would be Thor. These colorful crustaceans have a hammerlike claw that can smash prey with the acceleration of a 0.22-caliber bullet — not unlike the superhero's mythological weapon. Now, a new study reveals the secrets behind the strength...

A new species of crustacean has been discovered in the underwater mountains off the northwest coast of Spain, scientists recently announced. The squat lobster is orange and a little over 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. Squat lobsters are more closely related to porcelain and hermit crabs than true lobsters. It...

Three critically endangered insects called Lord Howe Island stick insects, also known as tree lobsters, have been hatched at the San Diego Zoo for the first time. The species was thought to be extinct after 1920, when the last known wild tree lobsters were devoured by rats on their native...

The late Jamaican musician Bob Marley has joined the I have a species named after me club, as a parasitic crustacean has been donned Gnathia marleyi, researchers announced today (July 10). This blood feeder infests certain fish that live among the coral reefs of the shallow eastern Caribbean Sea. I...

What good is color vision in the dark of the deep sea? For some crabs, an ability to see blue and ultraviolet light may mean the difference between chowing down on a good meal versus a toxic one. A new study published today (Sept. 6) in the Journal of Experimental...

When the red swamp crayfish invaded Europe more than 30 years ago, it may have smuggled another species overseas. Scientists say they've found an alien type of tiny crustacean in Spain, and evidence suggests it came from North America on the back of the crayfish. A team of researchers collected...

Flea-like crustaceans that rely on Arctic ice may be using deep ocean currents as a sort of conveyer belt to bring them back to the pack after their ice has drifted out to sea, new research suggests. If it is indeed how the tiny crustaceans keep from going too far...

GPS technology has revolutionized the study of vertebrates like whales, birds and monkeys, allowing scientists to learn more about the animals' behaviors and sometimes-lengthy migrations. But nobody has used the technology to study arthropods, the world's most abundant animals, until now. A study published this week in the journal PLoS...

Spearing mantis shrimp hide in their burrows and wait for an unsuspecting creature to come along. Then, in the blink of an eye, they spear it with their long claws, like an underwater archer. How do they spear their prey so quickly? Maya deVries, a researcher at the University of...

For barnacles, which are stuck in one place, sex can be tricky. The shelled sea creatures have been known to use extra-long penises to fertilize their nearest neighbors. Now researchers have discovered that when those neighbors are too far away, barnacles will broadcast their sperm and wind up with long-distance...

Scientists have long held that crabs are unable to feel pain because they lack the biology to do so, but behavioral evidence has recently shown otherwise. Now, new research further supports the hypothesis that crabs feel pain by showing that crabs given a mild shock will take steps to avoid...