Atlantic Horseshoe crab

Limulus polyphemus

Where is it found?

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Marine

Diet and foraging method

Horseshore crabs dig food from the sediment, gripping them with front legs, before crushing them and pushing them into the mouth.

Key adaptations

Horseshoe crabs are ancient species that live for a long time - between 20 and 40 years! They can survive extremes of temperature, pH, salinity and can survive in anoxic sediments.

Social organisation and mating system

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This species spawns on sandy beaches in the early Spring. Limulus males patrol along the tideline, awaiting females, who move from deeper water to the beach to nest. In calm water, many males may cluster around a single female forming a large spawning assemblage. In rough conditions, only one or two males may be able to grasp on to a female.

Did you know that...?

Horseshoe crabs are used extensively in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, as their blue blood clots when exposed to endotoxins. This means it can be used as an "alarm system" for detecting these toxins.

Taxonomy

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Sources:

Limulus polyphemus(bottom)". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limulus_polyphemus(bottom).jpg#/media/File:Limulus_polyphemus(bottom).jpg
​"Limules" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limules.jpg#/media/File:Limules.jpg
"Limulus polyphemus 01 by Line1" by I, Liné1. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limulus_polyphemus_01_by_Line1.jpg#/media/File:Limulus_polyphemus_01_by_Line1.jpg