Mighty: The Horseshoe Crab, Earth’s Ultimate Survivor

On a moonlit night, a strange creature with an armored back, ten hairy legs, and a long, pointy tail creeps along a sandy beach. What is this mysterious thing?

It’s the mighty horseshoe crab! This incredible sea critter has outlived dangerous dinosaurs, severe ice ages, and catastrophic volcanoes, thanks to its amazingly durable physique and unusual blue blood, which protects it from toxins. The horseshoe crab looks almost the same today as it did 450 million years ago in the Paleozoic Era, so much so that some scientists call it a “living fossil.” Only a handful of creatures that are still on Earth have been around as long as the horseshoe crab.      

But these days, the coastlines where horseshoe crabs live are changing in ways that make them newly vulnerable. Each generation born faces a new kind of threat that even their body design cannot protect them from – their habitat is shrinking.

With stunning, immersive art and a story that takes readers along on the horseshoe crab’s evolutionary journey, this unforgettable picture book reveals the secrets of an ultimate survivor and shows what conservationists are doing to make sure horseshoe crabs live on into the future.