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Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab was completed on 11.9.2011. I had been meaning to draw one of these invertebrates for some time, ever since I saw one at the shoreline in Maryland. I was surprised when I was researching this animal that is, in fact, not a crab! It is actually more closely related to spiders, scorpions and ticks. One thing I did know was this was one of the most prehistoric animals I've even seen. The drawing is based on a photo by Robin Kanouse.

Information about the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab:

The Atlantic Horseshoe Crab is a arthropod of the Xiphosura, which are a group of marine chelicerates, which are a group of animals that are mostly extinct, and in fact there are only four recent living members. Limulus polyphemus, along with the other horseshoe crabs, have hardly changed in millions of years. As the name makes clear, this arthropod is found in the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean. They feed on mollusks, annelid worms, and other invertebrates. The crabs have three main parts to their bodies: the head region or 'prosoma,' the abdominal region or 'opisthosoma' and the spine-like tail or 'telson'. Horseshoe crabs have the rare ability to regrow limbs they have lost.