Summary
A decorator crab dresses itself in bits of seaweed, sponge, and coral to disappear on the seafloor. Deep Look shows how this crab attaches living decorations to tiny hooks on its shell to build a custom disguise.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A decorator crab has hook-like hairs on its shell where it sticks pieces of its surroundings. Wearing its habitat as a costume, it blends right in and hides from predators.
- How does a decorator crab make its disguise?
- Why does covering itself in local bits help it hide?
- What would happen to its camouflage if it moved to a very different place?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: camouflage, decorate, blend, predator.
Try it: Tape small scraps that match your desk onto a paper crab. Write how wearing its surroundings hides the crab.