Baby Horseshoe Crabs! :)
They are considered living fossils, their origin dating back 450 million years ago. They are considered more closely related to arachnids.
They are true 'blue bloods' as their blood contains hemocyanin as opposed to hemoglobin.
Their blood is used in medicine, they are caught, bled, and returned to the wild (mostly unharmed, or so we think, like they are immune to trauma *sigh*), anyway, they are an important part of not only the ecosystem, but to humans (which are a part of the same system though we feel superior) as well.
They swarm beaches here during spawning season.
More photos
Horseshoe Crabs in Medicine
They are considered living fossils, their origin dating back 450 million years ago. They are considered more closely related to arachnids.
They are true 'blue bloods' as their blood contains hemocyanin as opposed to hemoglobin.
Their blood is used in medicine, they are caught, bled, and returned to the wild (mostly unharmed, or so we think, like they are immune to trauma *sigh*), anyway, they are an important part of not only the ecosystem, but to humans (which are a part of the same system though we feel superior) as well.
They swarm beaches here during spawning season.
More photos
Horseshoe Crabs in Medicine