16 Unknown Facts You Should Know About Horseshoe Crab

                  Kingdom : Animalia
                         Class : Merostomata
                      Family : Limulidae
       Scientific Name : Limulidae

                      Size(L) : 20cm - 60cm 
                                       (8in - 24in)
                      Weight : 1kg - 4.5kg 
                                      (2.2lbs - 9.9lbs)
   Average Life Span : 20 - 40 years
                      Colour : Black, Brown, Tan, 
                                     Yellow, Silver, White

                 Skin Type : Shell
Distinctive Features : Armoured shell with 
                                      long, thin tail

1. Horseshoe Crabs are hard-shelled invertebrates found across the oceans worldwide.
2. They are also known as the King Crab.
3. They inhabit the sea floor of the warmer waters of the world.
4. Though they are named as crabs, they are actually not crabs.
5. They are very closely related to arachnids like the scorpions and spiders.
6. They are believed to have evolved around 500 million years ago.
7. They have not changed much since their evolution.
8. There are around 4 species of horseshoe carb found in the world
9. They have a hard outer shell, a thin, long tail and five pairs of legs.
10. They use their tail to change directions while swimming and not as a defense-mechanism.
11. They breathe through thin plates on their abdomen also known as the book gills.
12. They are nocturnal animals generally hunting in the dark.
13. They are carnivores, feeding on sea worms, crustaceans and small molluscs.
14. Their natural predators are Sharks, Sea turtles, coastal birds and humans.
15. After mating the female horseshoe crab lays around 60,000-1,20,000 eggs in the sand and covers them.
16. Though they are not a threatened species, they are still affected by over fishing and water pollution.