Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) ~ It is Better to Give than to Receive
The Horseshoe Crab looks like an alien life form rather than an earth creature. It is more closely related to spiders and scorpions than actual crabs; this is exemplified by their whopping 10 eyes that can see UV light. These crabs are categorized in the class “Merostomata” which means it's legs are attached to it’s mouth (I don’t think they can walk and talk at the same time…). Without these creatures, the beloved Red Knot would be extinct. Red Knots feed solely on Horseshoe Crab eggs in their 9,300 mile migration along the coast. They arrive in the Delaware Bay on the last full moon in May where the Horseshoe Crab spawns each year. Here they double their weight before continuing to breeding grounds in the Canadian arctic. Horseshoe Crabs are not only useful for the Red Knot, however. They have also inadvertently saved countless human lives. Horseshoe Crab blood is used for every single injection, whether vaccines, drugs, or bl...