Summary
Blackback land crabs settle their arguments with their claws, shoving and jabbing over the best burrows. Deep Look slows down the crab wrestling to show how those big pincers work as both tools and weapons.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A land crab's claws are strong, hinged pincers. The crab uses them to dig burrows and gather food, but also to push and grab rival crabs. The same structure does more than one job -- that is common in nature.
- What body part do land crabs use when they fight over burrows?
- How can the same claw be both a digging tool and a weapon?
- Why might crabs fight instead of sharing the best burrows?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: pincer, claw, structure, burrow.
Try it: Make a fist and 'pinch' a pencil, then pretend to dig with the same hand. Write how a crab's claw does two jobs, like your hand.