Horseshoe Crab

Description

Horseshoe crabs have been around for more than 300 million years, making them even older than dinosaurs. They look like prehistoric crabs but are more closely related to scorpions and spiders. The horseshoe crab has a hard exoskeleton and 10 legs, which it uses for walking along the seafloor. Horseshoe crabs have nine eyes scattered throughout the body and several more light receptors near the tail. The two largest eyes are compound and useful for finding mates. The other eyes and light receptors are useful for determining movement and changes in moonlight.