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Horseshoe crab
Limulus polyphemus
48.1976, 16.353
Field Notes
Description:
Horseshoe crabs are considered living fossils. They can be found back to 400 Million years. They grow up to 60 cm. It looks like as they would swim the wrong way around.
During the breeding season, horseshoe crabs migrate to shallow coastal waters. Males select a female and cling onto her back. The female digs a hole in the sand and lays her eggs while the male fertilizes them. The female can lay between 60,000–120,000 eggs in batches of a few thousand at a time. Many shore birds eat the eggs before they hatch. The eggs take about 2 weeks to hatch. The larvae molt six times during the first year. (Wikipedia)
Habitat:
Aqua Terra Zoo Vienna;
in the wilde: Found along the northwest Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Primarily lives in shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms.
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