Animals with jointed legs, exoskeleton and segmented bodies, the largest animal phylum.
Phylum Arthropoda. Exoskeleton of chitin, jointed appendages, segmentation, open circulatory system and compound eyes. Groups: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and myriapods.
Arthropods dominate animal diversity. Their jointed limbs allow specialisation. The open circulatory system uses haemolymph.
Example: trilobites are extinct arthropods.
Animals with jointed legs, exoskeleton and segmented bodies, the largest animal phylum.
Arthropods is one of the 53 topics in Zoology & Animal Diversity. It is rated Beginner, so it suits learners who are starting out in biology. Related topics in this area include Insects, Annelids, Exoskeleton and Moulting.
Crabs are crustaceans with five pairs of legs.
Arthropods is a Beginner topic, so no earlier topic is required. Other Beginner topics in Zoology & Animal Diversity that pair well with it include Animal Kingdom, Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Sponges.
The closest topics to Arthropods are Insects, Annelids, Exoskeleton and Moulting, Echinoderms. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Arthropods. To practise the whole of Zoology & Animal Diversity, use the Zoology & Animal Diversity quiz.
Arthropods: Animals with jointed legs, exoskeleton and segmented bodies, the largest animal phylum. Insects: Six-legged arthropods with three body parts, often with wings, the most diverse animal group. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Insects and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Zoology & Animal Diversity quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Six-legged arthropods with three body parts, often with wings, the most diverse animal group.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversitySegmented worms like earthworms and leeches with a closed circulatory system.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversityArthropods shed their rigid chitin covering to grow in a process called ecdysis.
🦁 Zoology & Animal DiversityMarine animals with radial symmetry as adults and a water vascular system, like starfish.
🦁 Zoology & Animal Diversity