Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

Description:

The entire body of the horseshoe crab is protected by a hard shell. They have two large compound eyes and multiple smaller simple ones atop the carapace. Beneath the carapace they look quite similar to a large spider. They have five pairs of legs for walking, swimming and moving food into the mouth. The long, straight, rigid tails can be used to flip themselves over if they are turned upside down, so a horseshoe crab with a broken tail is more susceptible to desiccation or predation.Wikipedia

Habitat:

Found on the mudflats: Bunche Beach, Estero FL

Notes:

This baby was the size of a quarter.