Introduction
- Environmental groups have petitioned the U.S. government to grant endangered species protection to the American horseshoe crab.
- Horseshoe crabs, often called “living fossils,” have existed since before the age of dinosaurs.
About Horseshoe Crab
| Description | |
| Habitat | Shallow coastal waters with soft sandy or muddy bottoms;
Spawns primarily on intertidal beaches during summer-spring high tides. |
| Taxonomic Division | Chelicerata, a division of Arthropoda, comprising spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, mites, and ticks; characterized by segmented body and limbs, and a chitinous exoskeleton. |
| Status | Referred to as a marine “living fossil” due to minimal evolutionary changes over time. |
| Geographic Range | American horseshoe crab: Eastern coast of the USA and the Gulf of Mexico.
Indo-Pacific species (Tri-spine, Coastal, Mangrove): Mainly in coastal waters of India, Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. |
| Habitat in India | Odisha serves as the largest habitat for horseshoe crabs in India. |
| Conservation Status | Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. |
| IUCN Status | American horseshoe crab: Vulnerable.
Tri-spine horseshoe crab: Endangered. Other two are not listed yet. |
