Horseshoe crab

The Atlantic horseshoe crab, also known as the American horseshoe crab, is a species of horseshoe crab, a kind of marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod. It is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America.

Horseshoe crab eggs were eaten by Native Americans, and the eggs are still eaten in parts of Southeast Asia, though the animal is mainly used today for bait and biomedical testing.

The Atlantic horseshoe crab lives in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. It ranges from shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, and mangroves out to depths over 200 meters and as far as 56 kilometers offshore, with Delaware Bay as its main migration area.