Incredible the fossil

It seems the Predator, that foreigner who hunts Arnold Schwarzenegger in the forest. But he is harmless límulo, or crab-horseshoe, one of the animals most strange of the Land. With espinhuda its carapaça, it survived the diverse extinções in mass and is one of the species oldest of the world, with more than 500 million years. When the dinos had appeared, it already were ancião. As if it sees, the horseshoe is a fossil living creature.

Which the secret of as much success? Among others things, it eat of everything, but also it can pass one year without eating. It does not have natural enemies and it supports extremities of temperature and salinity. In 1967, it relieved until Nobel: its visual receivers and optic nerve had helped to disclose as the vision functions.

Currently, its blood is used for the pharmaceutical industry and NASA. Agency uses the space it to locate and to exterminar bacteria in its sounding leads, so that they do not contaminate other planets. It is possible that Mars in an attempt is sent to detect life there.

Although the name, the horseshoe is not a crab nor is considered a crustacean. Its four species - that east and Asian Southeast occur in the American coast - form an exclusive classroom of filo arthropod, the merostomata. E, if you to find a horseshoe in the beach, do not need to run away. Although to arrive more than half the meter and to have six pairs of claws, it he does not pinch. The horseshoe can scare, but he is harmless as a horse. Sea horse, clearly.



Lesson of anatomy
The duplex crab-ferraduraem
Eyes

Eight on and two under (indicated in the image to the right), of different types. In the dark one, its visual sensitivity increases 1 million of times. Enxergam in ultraviolet

Carapaça

Greaters to each exchange of carapaça are 25%. They become adult the 10 years, after 16 exchanges of skin. The females, greaters, can reach 60 centimeters and live 19 years

Mouth

Body is in the way it, between the legs. Structures remembering combs help in the chew. The animal eats of earthworms and clams the seaweed

Legs

They are six pairs, all with claws. The first one serves to place food in the mouth. Others four serve to walk and to chew. The last pair pushes the crab ahead

Tail

In sting form, it is not a weapon. Its function is to serve toggle. If the crab to capotar, uses it to desvirar itself. She is rigid and funny as a helix

Genital

Eggs or sperm are under of this covering. The males if grasp a female, forming one “trenzinho”. In the sand, the female digging nests and puts 300 eggs in each. The males liberate sperm on of them and the nest is covered

Blood

It is blue and it contains copper - and not iron, as ours - to carry oxygen. The scientists use the substance to purificar vaccines. E the animal does not die exactly after “donating” one terço of its blood

Gills

Beyond used breathing, they function at the same time as paddles. The animal nothing upside-down.


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