Use of crayfish in elementary and secondary classes in Japanese schools, with special reference to breeding and environmental education

概要

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The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii was imported into Japan from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, in 1927, and is now distributed across the Japanese Archipelago. This crayfish has been commonly used as a teaching material with a specific academic purpose in elementary schools. P. clarkii has body color variants, including an albino form with a relatively transparent body that is particularly suitable for examining the internal structures, such as digestive organs, beating heart and ovaries in female, without need for dissection. P. clarkii, as a non-native species, has potential negative effects on the native aquatic eco-system: hence this species must be treated with great care and an environmental education using such a crayfish is important in Japan. We describe how we have applied P. clarkii crayfish to an elementary science education in Japan.
2012-12-00