I’d like to share this remarkable two and a half-minute video of a horseshoe crab during the molting process. Produced by the Hong Kong Coast Watch and filmed by Kevin Laurie in May 2011, this film shows a juvenile Tachypleus tridentatus (one of the three species found in the Pacific ocean along the coast of Japan) shedding its outgrown exoskeleton at 16 times real speed. With calming music playing in the background you can witness the horseshoe crab as it burrows in the sand and exerts a tremendous amount of effort pulsing and pushing as it releases itself from its old shell. You can also get a glimpse as to the interesting creatures crawling around on the shores of the Pacific sea. For more information on the morphology differences between the four extant species of horseshoe crabs visit the Ecological Research & Development Group (ERDG), a leading resource for all things horseshoe crab related.
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Well, that was fun and quite interesting! Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed!
Reblogged this on Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches and commented:
We really enjoyed this post by the Beach Chair Scientist and think you will, too!
Is the video link broken? I can’t seem to bring it up.
I am not sure what is happening … I just played it and it went through.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Got it. Just a note: I find that I can bring it up on Internet Explorer but not on Firefox. It’s a plug-in issue apparently. Thanks much.