I went to visit my sis the park ranger in the Everglades over a spring break one year and was lucky enough to be allowed to do some “hurricane assessment” with her and 3 others while I was there. It involved us going on a long boat ride down the coast, then jumping into the ocean and wading to a stunningly beautiful beach comprised entirely of shells and horseshoe crab exoskeletons:
Horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus
Horseshoe crabs are considered “living fossils” because they have changed very, very little in the last 250 million years. Aren’t they magnificent?!
_______________
Unless otherwise stated, all text, images, and video are copyright © 2011 DragonflyWoman.wordpress.com
The Dragonfly Woman 
Nice shot! it looks so detailed
I’ve always been fascinated by horseshoe crabs, and what a cool beach! Nice image.
Fantastic! What an opportunity to photo such an ancient form of life! I’m jealous!
That experience ranks among my top 5 experiences in my life for sure. It was so incredible! The beach was so beautiful and the horseshoe crabs were everywhere, but the only people there were the 5 of us that were dropped onto the beach. I love doing anything with my sister, so that always makes for a good day. I also got to go on a really big Park Service speed boat to get there (I love boats!) and we went on a long tour through the Everglades mangroves on the way back. Great, great day!
Thinking of your last wordless Wednesday of the molting roach, I suppose horseshoe crabs molt also? That really makes me wonder how they get out of that shell. Do you think these were shed by molting? It reminds me of a baby horseshoe crab exoskeleton I used to have in my lab that had a split right over the back where that vertical crease is in the picture above. Those external gills must be a complication.
Pingback: Traveling Locally: Springtime Meditation at the Wainwright House « Lost in Traducción