Lesson plan
Protastacus
Protastacus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived in what is now Germany during the early Cretaceous period. The type species is P. politus, and a second species, P. antiquus, is also assigned to the genus. Protastacus grew to around long and had a mostly crayfish-like appearance, with enlarged pincer-bearing appendages and a segmented abdomen. Though formerly assigned to the Astacidae or Nephropoidea, it is currently placed as the only genus in the family Protastacidae, which in turn is the only family in the superfamily Protastacoidea. Both known species are believed to be brackish water animals, inhabiting a large upland-surrounded lake where the Bückeberg Formation was deposited during the earliest Cretaceous. This lake was originally freshwater and connected to the Boreal Sea, but became brackish due to marine transgression. Protastacus would have lived alongside various fish, invertebrates and aquatic reptiles in this lake, while terrestrial animals such as dinosaurs inhabited the surrounding shores.
Article summary
Protastacus is an extinct genus of decapod crustaceans that lived in what is now Germany during the early Cretaceous period. The type species is P. politus, and a second species, P. antiquus, is also assigned to the genus. Protastacus grew to around long and had a mostly crayfish-like appearance, with enlarged pincer-bearing appendages and a segmented abdomen. Though formerly assigned to the Astacidae or Nephropoidea, it is currently placed as the only genus in the family Protastacidae, which in turn is the only family in the superfamily Protastacoidea. Both known species are believed to be brackish water animals, inhabiting a large upland-surrounded lake where the Bückeberg Formation was deposited during the earliest Cretaceous. This lake was originally freshwater and connected to the Boreal Sea, but became brackish due to marine transgression. Protastacus would have lived alongside various fish, invertebrates and aquatic reptiles in this lake, while terrestrial animals such as dinosaurs inhabited the surrounding shores.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.