Atlantic Horseshoe Crab: Ancient Marine Arthropod Found on Coastal Sands #3706597 (License: Personal Use)

This image captures a mature Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) on a sunlit beach, its chitinous exoskeleton gleaming in shades of tan and brown. Its segmented body features a broad prosoma, pointed genal spines, and a long, rigid telson used for righting itself. Though commonly called a crab, it is more closely related to spiders and scorpions, belonging to the class Merostomata.

Used in educational wildlife articles, conservation campaigns, and marine biology resources; targets users searching for species identification, ecological roles (e.g., biomedical use of blue blood), or beachcombing guides.