horseshoe crab
noun
: any of several closely related marine arthropods (family Limulidae and order Xiphosura) with a broad crescentic cephalothorax, six pairs of legs, and a spikelike tail
especially
: one (Limulus polyphemus) of coastal waters from Maine to the Yucatán Peninsula
Note: The horseshoe crab is often said to have five pairs of legs since the first pair is greatly reduced in size and used mainly for feeding. All the legs of the horseshoe crab end in claws except for the last pair of legs which have leaflike expansions used mainly for pushing.
… a horseshoe crab … is a Swiss army knife of jointed limbs—for walking, swimming, grasping, shredding, and defending. —
Carl Zimmer
Carl Zimmer … the horseshoe crab has changed little since an ancestor was fossilized 150 million years ago … —National Geographic
National Geographic called also king crab
Examples of horseshoe crab in a Sentence
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For instance, horseshoe crabs can live in shallow coastal waters as well as deep ocean floors.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
The creatures — distant relatives of contemporary spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs — were preserved in remarkably good shape, according to a report in Current Biology.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
Interactive programming ranges from tide pools where kids can touch sea anemones, seastars, bat rays, and horseshoe crabs to daylong whale-watching excursions.
—Sunset Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024
Additionally, horseshoe crabs have a reproductive strategy that includes spawning in large numbers, which increases the chances of survival of offspring despite environmental fluctuations.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
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Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
The creatures — distant relatives of contemporary spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs — were preserved in remarkably good shape, according to a report in Current Biology.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
Interactive programming ranges from tide pools where kids can touch sea anemones, seastars, bat rays, and horseshoe crabs to daylong whale-watching excursions.
—Sunset Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024
Additionally, horseshoe crabs have a reproductive strategy that includes spawning in large numbers, which increases the chances of survival of offspring despite environmental fluctuations.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for horseshoe crab
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“Horseshoe crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horseshoe%20crab. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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