The horseshoe crab looks like it belongs in a prehistoric ocean, and that\u2019s not far from the truth. These armored creatures have been around for more than 450 million years, long before the first dinosaurs appeared.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Image showing a Horseshoe crab (Source: National wildlife federation)<\/em><\/p>\n kingdom: Animalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n phylum: Arthropoda<\/p>\n<\/li>\n subphylum: Chelicerata<\/p>\n<\/li>\n class: Merostomata<\/p>\n<\/li>\n order: Xiphosura<\/p>\n<\/li>\n family: Limulidae<\/p>\n<\/li>\n genus: Limulus (North America), Tachypleus<\/em> and Carcinoscorpius<\/em> (Asia)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n A horseshoe crab\u2019s body is covered by a hard, rounded shell with two compound eyes on top and several simple eyes scattered around. They can reach up to 60 cm in length, including the tail spine (telson). The tail isn\u2019t used for defense but helps them flip over if waves push them onto their backs. Beneath the shell, they have five pairs of legs, a mouth in the center, and gill flaps that look like pages of a book.<\/p>\n Horseshoe crab anatomy diagram (Source: Department of Natural resources – Carolina )<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Horseshoe crabs live in shallow coastal waters:<\/p>\n Horseshoe crab on beach sand <\/a>(Source: Sound waters)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Each spring, especially during full and new moons, horseshoe crabs move onto sandy beaches to spawn. Females dig nests and lay thousands of eggs, which males fertilize externally. Many of these eggs become food for shorebirds and fish. The young crabs hatch as small versions of adults, skipping a larval stage. They molt multiple times as they grow, shedding their old shells.<\/p>\n Image showing lifecylce and reproduction of a Horseshoe crab <\/a><\/em>(Source: Science direct)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n There are four living species of horseshoe crabs:<\/p>\n 1. Limulus polyphemus:<\/strong> Found along the Atlantic coast of North America<\/p>\n Image showing a Limulus polyphemus <\/a>(Source: invasions SI) <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n 2. Tachypleus tridentatus:<\/strong> The largest species, found in East Asia. image <\/a><\/p>\n Image showing <\/a>Tachypleus tridentatus<\/a> (Source : Daiju Azuma)<\/em><\/p>\n 3. Tachypleus gigas:<\/strong> Found in South and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n Image showing Tachypleus gigas <\/a>(Source: Shubham Chatterjee)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n 4. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda:<\/strong> Known as the mangrove horseshoe crab, with a rounded tail.<\/p>\n Image showing Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda <\/a>(Source: Amada)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Image showing a Horseshoe crab with a lab scientist <\/a><\/em>(Source: Natural History Museum)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Their blood is costly per liter because of its use in medical safety tests.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n They have been around longer than sharks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A horseshoe crab\u2019s tail looks dangerous, but it isn\u2019t. It\u2019s used like a lever, not a weapon.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n You can reach out to us at Doctor Hulk Veterinary Hospital<\/strong> through 08143397614<\/strong> for your animal health care and inquiries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The horseshoe crab looks like it belongs in a prehistoric ocean, and that\u2019s not far from the truth. These armored<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":30940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[249],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-29528","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-h-invertebrates","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"shipping-taxable","11":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29528"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30172,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29528\/revisions\/30172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=29528"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=29528"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=29528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Scientific classification<\/h4>\n
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Physical characteristics<\/h4>\n
![\"Horseshoe](\"https:\/\/www.dnr.sc.gov\/marine\/pub\/seascience\/images\/horseshoecrab1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHabitat and distribution<\/h4>\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/soundwaters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/hsc.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDiet and feeding habits<\/h4>\n
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Life cycle and reproduction<\/h4>\n
![\"Saving](\"https:\/\/ars.els-cdn.com\/content\/image\/1-s2.0-S0141113623004105-gr1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBehavior and adaptations<\/h4>\n
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Ecological importance<\/h4>\n
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All known species<\/h4>\n
![\"Limulus](\"https:\/\/invasions.si.edu\/SpImages\/Limulus%20polyphemus_EOL.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/82\/Tachypleus_tridentatus.jpg\/250px-Tachypleus_tridentatus.jpg\")
<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Mangrove](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/1\/1f\/Carcinoscorpius_rotundicauda_%28mangrove_horseshoe_crab%29.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThreats and conservation status<\/h4>\n
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Interaction with humans<\/h4>\n
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![\"Horseshoe](\"https:\/\/www.nhm.ac.uk\/content\/dam\/nhm-www\/discover\/horseshoe-crabs\/horseshoe-crab-shutterstock-two-width.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFun facts<\/h4>\n
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