Inside the Brain of Crayfish

Imagine you are on a voyage to the bottom of the sea, or simply looking along the bottom of a clear stream observing lobsters or crayfish waving their antennae. Looking closer, you see them feeling around with their legs and flicking their antennules vDj” the small, paired sets of miniature feelers at the top of their heads between the long antennae. While the long antennae are used for getting a physical feel of an area, such as the contours of a crevice, the smaller antennules are there to both help the creature smell and also to sense motion in the water that could indicate the presence of food, a mate or danger. The legs also have receptors that detect chemical signatures, preferably those emanating from a nice hunk of dead fish.

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