Description

Horseshoe Crab are marine arthropods of the family Limulidae. They are invertebrates, meaning that they lack a spine. Horseshoe Crabs live primarily in and around shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. They occasionally come onto shore to mate. They are commonly used as bait and in fertilizer. In recent years, a decline in the population has occurred as a consequence of coastal habitat destruction in Japan and over harvesting along the east coast of North America.

Tetrodotoxin (a potent neurotoxin) may be present in the roe of species inhabiting the waters of Thailand. Because of their origin 450 million years ago, Horseshoe Crab are considered living fossils.