---
title: "Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs?"  
description: "A short explanation of the prehistoric animal horseshoe crabs"  
author: "Anjita D."  
published: 2023-09-22  
canonical: https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/2600/have-you-ever-heard-of-horseshoe-crabs  
category: "animals"  
tags: ["Prehistoric animal", "facts", "general knowledge"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs?

![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/7e9e3d4d-4442-4fe1-9e4a-8077cfbde64b.jpeg) ![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/7009d7c1-a2b9-4ab6-aa47-13fc43e66232.jpeg) Horseshoe crabs have been around for over 450 million years, and they have survived five mass extinctions. ![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/bed661fd-b227-4c87-b397-3731240e42f2.jpeg) They are often referred to as "living fossils" because they have changed very little over time. ![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/1992d7f3-c9a1-4f32-b002-ae2ce19b78f6.jpeg) Horseshoe crabs are also used in medical research. ![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/d83484d4-57a6-430d-8aa9-51bdd74f6d41.jpeg) Their blood contains a material known as Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL). ![Have you ever heard of Horseshoe crabs](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/9fdb7810-730b-4f62-8044-018b8c61dad0/images/687cb0aa-7b00-4958-8648-97f906711552.jpeg) It is used to test for bacterial contamination in vaccines and other medical goods.

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Original Source: https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/2600/have-you-ever-heard-of-horseshoe-crabs

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