What Does The Name Arthropod Mean?

The word arthropod is an amalgamation of the Greek words for 'joint and 'foot'. It is the name of the largest phylum of animals. Arthropods consist of insects, arachnids and others types of creatures. Over eighty percent of the recorded existing animal species come under the category of arthropods. The earliest fossil record of arthropods dates back to the late proterozoic period.

Arthropods can be commonly found in water, salt or fresh, terrestrial and also aerial habitats. The distinction of being the biggest existing arthropod would go to the Japanese spider crab, whose leg span extends to a whopping twelve feet.

Arthropods are distinctive features such as a segmented body, every segment having appendages. All arthropods have a hard covering or exoskeleton that is made up of chitin, which protects the animal. From time to time; an arthropod undertakes the activity of shedding the cover when it moults.

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Greek words arthro-joint pod-legs
butterfly,cockroach etc are the members of this family they have jointed legs and a segmented body

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