Have you heard of a horseshoe crab? Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to witness these ancient-looking creatures that gather in great numbers on the shores of the US Atlantic coast and northeastern India.
Take the quiz to learn why you may want to add horseshoe crabs to your top 10 list of favorite animals!
Horseshoe crab quiz
Click check on each question or show solution at the end of the quiz to view the answers and learn cool horseshoe crab facts.
*This quiz works best on desktop or tablet.
How to help horseshoe crabs
Horseshoe crabs have been in the ocean for over 400 million years. They are an established part of healthy marine ecosystems. And their eggs are fuel for migrating shorebirds. Beyond their important role in the environment, horseshoe crabs have helped save the lives of millions of humans.
You can help horseshoe crabs in return! Learn more about them using the links below. Participate in a local beach cleanup. Do horseshoe crab art. Celebrate, share what you learn, and support horseshoe crab conservation projects. Hooray for horseshoe crabs!
International Horseshoe Crab Day is held each year on the 20th of June.
Learning resources on horseshoe crabs
NOAA educational video series: The Remarkable Horseshoe Crab
NOAA: Hooray for Horseshoe Crabs! Learning activity about American horseshoe crabs for grades 6-12. Activity pdf available here.
Horeshoecrab.org: A useful resource on horseshoe crab anatomy, ecology, conservation, and more
Video from TED-Ed: Why do we harvest horseshoe crab blood?
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Resources on American horseshoe crab anatomy, evolution, fishery, medical uses, and conservation
Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: 10 Incredible Horseshoe Crab Facts
PBS News Hour article: Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is needed for medicine, but a declining bird species relies on the crabs to eat
IUCN SSC Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group: The scientific group in charge of evaluating horseshoe crab conservation status
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