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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing mangrove horseshoe crabs. The mangrove horseshoe crabs is one of three lesser known horseshoe crab species. There are four living horseshoe crabs, and the most documented species hails from North America. The mangrove horseshoe crab, however, along with the other two living species, lives in Asia! 

Mangrove horseshoe crabs stand apart from other horseshoe crab species both in how they look and in where they breed. All horseshoe crabs have a tail-like structure, called a telson. It's the bit that looks like it could stab you, though it's not used as a weapon. Horseshoe crabs use their telson to turn themselves over if they're knocked upside down. In the mangrove horseshoe crab, the telson has a circular cross section with a smooth surface. The telson cross section in other horseshoe crab species is not as rounded and their tails are more barbed. This may be because mangrove horseshoe crabs spend a lot of time in mangrove roots where a smooth, round tail makes it easier to navigate without getting stuck. 

The other three horseshoe crab species prefer sandy or muddy beaches for meeting up to mate, but, as their common name implies, mangrove horseshoe crabs prefer to breed in the tangled roots of mangrove forests. Male mangrove horseshoe crabs are typically described as slightly smaller than females, although on average these invertebrates reach about six inches (15 cm) in diameter. They have specialized claws for grasping the female's shell and holding on while she drags him around the roots. Mangrove horseshoe crab females lay large eggs and the babies that hatch from them look like tiny versions of the adults! 

It's currently believed that mangrove horseshoe crabs breed year-round; their tropical habitat helps facilitate this. When they aren't getting busy, mangrove horseshoe crabs search for food such as algae, decaying fish, and marine worms. They also eat bivalves which could contribute to their toxic taste. In some parts of their range, mangrove horseshoe crabs are eaten by humans, however, reports suggest their meat and eggs can be poisonous to consume due to their contaminated bivalve diet! The bivalves eat toxic algae and the toxins remain in the molluscs to get passed on to whatever animals eat them.

Mangrove horseshoe crabs are also threatened by habitat loss. It's currently suggested that as long as mangrove habitats remain intact, this species will continue to thrive, however loss of this vital resource could spell disaster.

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