Te Papa logo

Museum of New Zealand

Te Papa Tongarewa

Clever Crustaceans activity bookTe pukapuka mahi Mawhiti tino rawe

Crustaceans come in all shapes and sizes – from huge king crabs to tiny sand hoppers! Get to know them through movement, storytelling, puzzles, and more!

Learning areas and strands

Sciences

Education type

Activity book

Suitable for

Ages 5–10

Most crustaceans live in the sea, but some prefer to live in fresh water, on land, or even underground.

They’ve developed all kinds of tricky traits to thrive in these environments – including camouflage and motion detectors!

In Aotearoa New Zealand we have over 3,000 different kinds of these clever creatures living alongside us.

In this pukapuka mahi you will:

  • Learn how to recognise crustaceans

  • Spot crustacean body features

  • Practise moving like a crustacean

  • Follow the life cycle of a crustacean

  • Find the right home for our crustaceans

  • Read a story about catching kōura

  • Get clever with a crustacean crossword

  • Bring a kōura to life with colour!

Download the Clever Crustaceans activity book (40.75 MB)

You might also like

Crustaceans of Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific

Crustacea includes lobsters, crabs, shrimps, prawns, hoppers, wood lice, water fleas, and several other groups. Most crustaceans live in the sea but some are found in freshwater or on land. The one thing they all need to survive is water, or at least a moist habitat.

Clever Crustaceans

Discover crustaceans’ smart survival tricks in a mini exhibition with real specimens and hands-on interactives. Created in collaboration with NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi.

Closed

22 May – 21 Aug 2023

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga