What is the body covering of arthropods?

Answer 1

The exoskeleton of arthropoda - or the cuticle with which they are covered - is made largely of a tough protein called chitin, a long chain polymer comparable to cellulose. It fills the same role as the protein keratin in other animals where it would be found in hair, nails, hooves, claws, beaks, etc.

Some arthropods, like crustaceans, further harden their chitin exoskeleton by biomineralization with calcium carbonate. Because it is inflexible, the organism has to periodically shed it (moult) in order to grow.

Answer 2

The exoskeleton of arthropoda is made of a tough protein called chitin, a long chain polymer comparable to cellulose. It fills the same role as the protein keratin in other animals where it would be found in hair, nails, hooves, claws, beaks, etc.

Some arthropods, the crustaceans, further harden their chitin exoskeleton by biomineralization with calcium carbonate.

Because it is inflexible, the organism has to periodically shed it (moult) in order to grow.

Answer 3

The body covering or exoskeleton of arthropoda is made of a tough protein called chitin, a long chain polymer comparable to cellulose. It fills the same role as the protein keratin in other animals, found in hair, nails, hooves, claws, beaks, etc. Some arthropods, like crustaceans, further harden their exoskeleton by biomineralization with calcium carbonate. Because it is inflexible, the organism has to periodically moult it in order to grow (ecdysis).

Answer 4

Arthropod bodies are covered with a hard protein called chitin, the main component in their exoskeleton. Often it is biomineralized for additional hardness by minerals like calcium carbonate. Chitin is also exploited for the hardest body parts of cephalopods and by molluscs, and is the main component of cell walls of fungi. It fills the same role as the hard protein keratin in human fingernails and hair, or beaks, claws, and mammal hooves.

Answer 5

Arthropod bodies are covered with a hard protein called chitin.

Answer 6

An arthropod's exoskeleton covers its entire body. This exoskeleton must periodically be shed off through a process called molting in order for the arthropod to grow.