I didn't realize how big they are! They also aren't really crabs. They are arthropods, closely related to spiders, but even more closely related to the extinct trilobites. This isn't my picture (it came from Miss Pegasus), but it shows what's under the shell of a live one.
There sure isn't much agreement on line about how many pairs of legs they have, but I think the correct answer is 6 pairs. They use the small ones for eating, the next set for mating, and the other 4 sets for walking.
The tail is very important because they can use it to turn over if they get flipped. So a horseshoe crab with a broken tail could be in serious trouble.
I hope I get to see one in real life sometime! I bet lots of you have seen them. They are found around the world, at the ocean.
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7 comments:
I've never even seen an old shell of a horseshoe crab before, and I'm sure I'll most likely never get to see a live one, so this is kind of an amazing sight to me. I've seen them on TV, but I don't think I've ever known another person who has seen this much. I like both pictures a lot.
I have seen them in real, they are very common over here.
Never seen one before. Not too bothered if I don't see one in the flesh, or shell. I suppose it's Mum thought it was lovely. :-)
What a curious creature--and huge!
Never i've seen such a thing in my life and it looks really creepy. Ofcourse the shell is something fascinating to me. I didn't know that these creatures have a big shell like that.
Ratty- the animal kingdom is fascinating. There are so many things we'll never get to see!
rainfield- very interesting. Do they just crawl around the beaches?
John- I doubt that their mothers pay any attention to them
Chuck- I sure never thought they got that large!
Elvirah- they do look creepy, but they don't bite or sting or anything.
quite interesting and a little creepy looking :)
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