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Environmental groups on Monday petitioned the U.S. government seeking endangered species protection for the American horseshoe crab, a "living fossil" under threat from commercial harvests for bait and biomedical use as well as from habitat loss and climate change.
These spine-tailed sea creatures named for the shape of their body shells have been crawling ashore since long before the age of dinosaurs, and in modern times were a familiar sight to summer beachgoers along the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
Horseshoe crabs
Horseshoe Crabs are the living Fossils with Fascinating Features.
Horseshoe crabs are ancient creatures, often referred to as living fossils, that have been roaming the Earth for over 300 million years – even predating dinosaurs.
Despite their name, they are not true crabs or crustaceans, but rather chelicerates, more closely related to spiders and scorpions.
Appearance:
Horseshoe-shaped carapace: Their hard exoskeleton resembles a horseshoe, hence the name.
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10 legs: They use 8 for walking and 2 for grasping food.
Tail spine: A long, spiky tail for defense and balance.
Multiple eyes: They have several eye types, including compound eyes for vision and median eyes for UV light detection.
Habitat and Lifestyle:
Marine and brackish waters: Found on sandy or muddy bottoms along coasts.
Scavengers: They feed on worms, mollusks, and other small prey using their chelicerae.
Breeding rituals: Mass gatherings on beaches during high tides, with females laying thousands of eggs.
Molting: They shed their exoskeleton multiple times as they grow.
Long lifespan: They can live for over 20 years.
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