Triop World Nick Baker Instructions - Interplay

Mouth: This is quite diffi cult to actually seeas most of the time it is hidden behind afl ap called a labrum, but it is there and if youwatch your Triops feeding closely you mighteven see the mandibles and the maxilla allchomping away, mashing the food up makingit easy to swallow.1st Thoracopods: The fi rst pair of limbsare a bit different to the rest. Modifi ed, theyperform the same sort of jobs as antennaein other invertebrates. The fi rst pair are splitinto several ‘fi ngers’. Weirdly Triops do haveantennae (in fact they have four) under thecarapace in line with the eyes but they arevery diffi cult to see.The other limbs: There are 70 appendageson the thorax. The fi rst eleven are the biggestand most developed called Thoracopods. Theyhave numerous functions, each leg is dividedinto different sections, with spiky bits andfl aps. They all work together, swishing wateraround they stir up the sediment for feeding,they act as legs walking the Triop along thebottom and when it needs to they act as fi nstoo, with the thin fl appy sections, able to propelthe crustacean through the water. They also havethe gills and the gnarly bits at the base which areused to mash and pass the food to the mouth.The fi rst pair of Thoracopodsare divided up into fi ngers.They are very senstitive and areused a bit like antennae to feel andtaste their way aroundThe group of crustaceans that the Triops belongto are called the Branchiopods which means lungfoot and refers to the ability of the animals tobreathe through the gills on their legs.167957 Triop World Instructions.indd 17 19/11/2012 10:17