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Carcinisation (American English: carcinization) is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by L. A. Borradaile, who described it as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab". [2]
The oldest known true crabs are Eoprosopon klugi and Eocarcinus praecursor from the Early to Middle Jurassic. [5] [6] While that fossil crab, and a few other Jurassic species, establish that crabs existed in older time periods, crabs did not truly diversify into numerous species until the beginning of the Cretaceous. [3]
Crabs vary in size from the pea crab, a few millimeters wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span up to 4 m (13 ft). [6] Several other groups of crustaceans with similar appearances – such as king crabs and porcelain crabs – are not true crabs, but have evolved features similar to true crabs through a process known as carcinisation.
Carcinisation: a crustacean evolves into a crab-like form from a non-crab-like form. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by L. A. Borradaile, who described it as "one of the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab". [158]
Eventually, everything turns into a crab. This particular type of convergent evolution — when animals develop similar traits despite coming from different families — has even been given a ...
Science tells us that the crab is nature’s perfect lifeform, through a process called carcinization that sees non-crab crustaceans evolving to become more like crabs in every passing generation.
A shed carapace of a lady crab, part of the hard exoskeleton Body structure of a typical crustacean – krill. The body of a crustacean is composed of segments, which are grouped into three regions: the cephalon or head, [5] the pereon or thorax, [6] and the pleon or abdomen. [7]
While counting snow crabs at sea in 2021, fisheries biologist Erin Fedewa saw that something was deeply amiss.Fedewa, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist, spends ...