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Horseshoe Crabs
Horseshoe Crab
Take a Close Look at the Horseshoe Crab -- an up-close look at the horseshoe crab and its parts
The Assateague Naturalist -- provides some info on the basics of horseshoe crab biology
The Mystic Aquarium -- provides some more info on the basics of horseshoe crab biology
Horseshoe Crab, Living Fossil -- a terrific page from the National Aquarium in Baltimore
The Horseshoe Crab -- an incredibly informative article by Patty Sturtevant, Ph.D., extensively but clearly covering life history and biology
Horseshoe crab eggs in Delaware Bay are essential fuel for shorebirds migrating from South America up to their Arctic breeding grounds. Shorebirds gorging on horseshoe crab eggs can more than double their body weight in just a couple of weeks. For information on shorebirds, check out:
Here's a picture of spawning horseshoe crabs and feeding shorebirds on the beach, from the University of Delaware
The Importance of Migratory Stopovers, from the Chipper Woods Bird Observatory, Indianapolis, IN
Discover Delaware Bay Shorebirds!, from the State of New Jersey
Fish & Wildlife Service: What are Shorebirds?
The Shorebird Page, from The Wetlands Network and Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
The Shorebird Handbook has lots of detailed info about shorebirds, such as nesting and breeding behavior
The Shorebird Watcher, from Dick & Jean Hoffman, is a great source of shorebird information
Horseshoe crabs are critical parts of the diets of loggerhead turtles, which are federally listed as a threatened species. For more information on the loggerhead turtle, check out:
Sea Turtles, from the Chesapeake Bay Program
South Carolina: Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Medicine Mariner -- a page by the State of NJ describing the horseshoe crab's medical value.
LAL: Discovery and Commercial Development -- how Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), which is the worldwide standard screening test for injectible medical devices (IVs, pacemeakers, etc.) and batches of new drugs, was discovered
Endosafe and LAL -- more info and history on Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), from Endosafe, one of the producers of LAL
Drugs of the Deep -- an FDA site with info on LAL and other medical discoveries from the ocean
American Institute of Physics -- radio piece about horseshoe crab sight, which by studying, we have learned much about how we see
The vital energy -- a somewhat unusual site about Ki energy, but it also mentions the Nobel Prize that was awarded for studying horseshoe crab vision
Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Species Information: Horseshoe Crab -- a very informative site from the Chesapeake Bay Program
Hard Times for Horseshoe Crabs -- a terrific article from Outdoor Delaware Magazine
The Humble Horseshoe Crab -- an informative site from the State of New Jersey
Oceanwatch: "Creature Feature: the Horseshoe Crab"
Highlighted Species: Horseshoe Crab -- a Sept. 1998 article from VMRC Fisheries News
For more information, contact Perry Plumart.