Digestive System of

a Crab
By: John keven Niez
BSFAS 2B
 The Crabs Digestive System

Crabs are fitted with large claws for defense, but also
eating. The crabs use their claws to directly grab and
place foods into their mouth. After that stage, the fo
od travels down the esophagus into the stomach, wh
ere it is digested.
 The chelicera, are primarily used to place
food into its mouth. The digestive tract
begins with the bristly mouth and continues
with a cuticle-lined esophagus
Digestive System
What do crab eat?
Although the crab has many composers, one thing m
any people wonder about them is how do they feed.
Crabs, like many other animals on the earth are omni
vores meaning they eat both plants and other animal
s. The crab mostly feed on algae, but also eats many
other foods including bacteria, fungi, mollescus, wor
ms etc.
 The mouth- The claws, or also known as the chelicera,
bring the food towards the mouth. Inside the mouth th
ere are three jaws, one holds the food, then moves the
food to the second and third jaws where it is torn into s
maller pieces. It is then sent down the esophagus to th
e stomach.
The stomach- the stomach of the crab is very unique. Th
e stomach grinds the food using hard plates and bumps, a
s well as digestive juices to breakdown food so it can be a
bsorbed into the hepatopancreas.

The intestines- The intestines simply digest food further

with enzymes and other digestive fluids. The undigested f
ood is then sent to the anus for excretion.
The Digestive system
Once in the mouth, the food travels down the esophagus
to the proventriculus which is made up of the crop and gi
zzard. The crop holds the food before it moves to the gizz
ard where small stones and sand are moved by the most
muscular part of the digestive system to break down the f
ood physically. Any indigestable food, such as clam shells,
are regurgitated. Food then passes through the pyloric val
ve into the midgut where it is digested and nutrients are a
bsorbed. It then passes into the rectum, or hindgut, whic
h is a short muscular tube terminating in the anus where
waste is expelled. The horseshoe crab is the only chelicer
ate that is able to ingest solid food.
 References:

https://prezi.com/m/xgnacekuy2qx/how-do-crabs-
digesteat/
https://www.horseshoecrab.org/anat/gut.html