Animals with Pincers: A Categorized Overview

Many animals have pincers, though the term is sometimes used loosely. Here are examples categorized by type:

Arthropods

Crustaceans: Crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, and barnacles have pincers called chelae.

Insects: Some insects, like earwigs, have pincers at the end of their abdomen.

Arachnids: Scorpions have pincers at the front of their body, while some spiders have pincer-like mouthparts called chelicerae.

Other Animals

Spiders: Use chelicerae to inject venom and hold prey.

Sea anemones: Some have cnidocytes, which are stinging cells that resemble pincers.

Starfish: Some have tiny pedicellariae used for cleaning and defense.

Some mollusks: The nautilus has beak-like mandibles used to break prey.

Keep in mind that structures resembling pincers may serve different functions depending on the animal.