Emory Meyer
Science / English
November 17, 2015
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
Limulus polyphemus
Limulus polyphemus more commonly know as the Atlantic horseshoe crab is found commonly alongside the northern coast of the Atlantic Ocean between Georgia and New York. They resemble prehistoric crabs. They have a hard exoskeleton, ten walking legs, spines on its abdomen, and a long tail. They are more closely related to arachnids than crabs. They are heterotrophic, meaning they get energy from other organisms by eating other autotrophs or other heterotrophs, they have bilateral symmetry, and they are ectothermic, meaning they are cold blooded. Their prey is: bivalves, worms, and clams and their predators are: sharks and sea turtles. Three interesting adaptations that the Atlantic horseshoe crab have include: three structural: they grow larger by molting, their tail digs into the sand so that females can lay eggs, and Their tail acts like a lever and flips the Atlantic horseshoe crab over if it happens to flip over.
Domain: Eukaryotes
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropod
Class: Chelicerata
Order: Merostomata
Family: Limulidae
Genus: Limulus
Species: polyphemus
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