Butterfly Pavilion - Combining science education with hands-on fun to teach visitors about invertebrates, science and conservation.


	Horseshoe Crab
Common Name: Horseshoe Crab Scientific Name: Limulus polyphemus Class: Merostomata Origin: Gulf of Maine to Gulf of Mexico Notes: This species is the only one of its class to be found in North America. It belongs to a very ancient group of arthropods that have been around for over 400 million years. Its closest living relatives are the arachnids. Horseshoe crabs feed on clams, worms, and other invertebrates that they find while shoveling through sandy bottoms near shore. In the spring, these animals congregate near the shore with males holding onto the abdomens of females. When the tide is high, each female digs a hole above the low-tide line and lays 200-300 eggs that are fertilized by the male. The copper-based blue hemolymph (blood) is used in medical research to test for impurities in medicinal formulae.

Horseshoe Crab

Common Name: Horseshoe Crab
Scientific Name: Limulus polyphemus
Class: Merostomata
Origin: Gulf of Maine to Gulf of Mexico

Notes: This species is the only one of its class to be found in North America. It belongs to a very ancient group of arthropods that have been around for over 400 million years. Its closest living relatives are the arachnids. Horseshoe crabs feed on clams, worms, and other invertebrates that they find while shoveling through sandy bottoms near shore. In the spring, these animals congregate near the shore with males holding onto the abdomens of females. When the tide is high, each female digs a hole above the low-tide line and lays 200-300 eggs that are fertilized by the male. The copper-based blue hemolymph (blood) is used in medical research to test for impurities in medicinal formulae.