Horseshoe Crabs

Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs.  They come from sea going spiders.  Horseshoe crabs have been around before the dinosaurs were around, 400 million years.  They look scary, but they will not hurt you.  They eat worms, clams, and dead fish.

They lay hundreds of eggs in each hole.  They lay thousands of eggs in total.  Many get eaten. 

Before horseshoe crabs are three years old, they have already shed their shell 11 times.  After that, horseshoe crabs shed their shells once a year when they get too big for their old shell.  I found tons of baby horseshoe crab shells.  

Sometimes horseshoe crabs swim upside down.  They use their gills to swim by moving around.

They have blue blood.  Doctors use it for medical stuff.  

To learn more watch this video at: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e8KlAmtIu1E&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3De8KlAmtIu1E

I like to find horseshoe crabs at Stonewall Pond.  

This is a horseshoe crab shell, but it does not have its tail.

A horseshoe crab's front shell is shaped like a horse's hoof.