Betrayal! Horseshoe Crabs are Really Arachnid Infiltrators!

[RunandFindOut]

https://phys.org/news/2019-03-horseshoe-crabs-relatives-spiders-scorpions.html#nRlv

I knew it all along, those are spider legs not crab legs.  As described in this new study evolutionary biologists have firmly placed horseshoe crabs within the arachnid family.  There have been suspicions ever since the late 19th century, but now we have proof.  The blue-blooded biting many-legged trip hazards that invade our beaches yearly are secretly a part of the arachnid menace!  But the question remains, what are they looking for on land?  Is it a conspiracy with their land-bound cousins the spiders and scorpions?  Are they simply trying to lull us into a false sense of security?  Are they fleeing an even more terrible menace on the sea floor, or possibly attempting to learn to breathe air so they can move beyond a temporary beachhead?  Is this all a plot of their vile mother Shelob?

[HobbesHurlbut]

Didn't we knew that for a very long time?

[Daryk]

According to the article, the first classification in that direction was in 1881, but the most recent study is the most conclusive yet.

[RunandFindOut]

Basically taxonomists have suspected it for a long time and variously classified them in a couple different ways that made clear a relation existed but they weren't really sure exactly what it was.  Now however we know for sure that they are the cursed spawn of Ungoliant.

[worktroll]

Getting bitten by a horseshoe crab seems slightly harder than being run over by a steamroller.

[Sartris]

According to the article, the first classification in that direction was in 1881, but the most recent study is the most conclusive yet.

"dude was right 140 years ago but now we have DNA sequencing"

[marauder648]

Getting bitten by a horseshoe crab seems slightly harder than being run over by a steamroller.

Indeed, how does one get bit by these things? I mean they're not exactly fast. So unless you're picking one up and doing a face hugger impression :p

[RunandFindOut]

When they come ashore to lay eggs they do so in huge numbers and if you're walking around on the beach it's not that hard to end up bitten as they walk across your foot or you step on one under the water and they flip over and grab your foot.  They're more likely to jab you with the sharp ends of their legs or their tail than bite you but it can happen.

[Major Headcase]

Have they invented flame throwers that work under water??? Asking for unrelated reasons...

[Sartris]

train a cadre of mantis shrimp to protect you

[Kidd]

I feel less bad about harvesting them and draining their blood now. Even though that kind of makes us vampires to them.

"I am a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend."

[YingJanshi]

Always found them rather cute...

[rebs]

They're just waiting to launch an invasion against us land lubbers to take blood for blood.  When we are at our weakest moment, they will strike, and the beach will never be the same.

But I agree, they are rather cute.  I just won't be hugging one of the vengeful little varmints to my face or chest any time soon. 

[Kidd]

They're just waiting to launch an invasion against us land lubbers to take blood for blood.  When we are at our weakest moment, they will strike, and the beach will never be the same.

Heh.

This corner of Asia we have a local folk legend about a swordfish attack.

[rebs]

Heh.

This corner of Asia we have a local folk legend about a swordfish attack.

Do tell. You have a masterful way of telling stories!  If not on this thread, start another one.

[RunandFindOut]

It's not unheard of for billfish to stab fisherman with their long spear-like bills which generally ends with either severe injury or death.

[Colt Ward]

Funny enough, a quick search does not show anyone posting a picture with a horseshoe crab imitating the facehugger pictures.  I would have thought we at least had one person stupid enough to post them.

[jimdigris]

Can we make a "Clan Horseshoe Scorpion" now?

[Orin J.]

Horseshoe crabs are not spiders! Spiders are debased horseshoe crabs long exiled for deviant behaviors, like the nudism. Eight legged Morlocks, if you will.

[Kit deSummersville]

I feel less bad about harvesting them and draining their blood now.[/I]

I've actually watched that, in person. It's very foamy when it gets sucked out.

[rebs]

Horseshoe crabs are not spiders! Spiders are debased horseshoe crabs long exiled for deviant behaviors, like the nudism. Eight legged Morlocks, if you will.

Scorpions aren't spiders either, but they are arachnids.  Just like the Horseshoe Crab.  By association they deserve vigilance against betrayal and underworld fiendishness. Everyone knows that spiders are alien to our dimension and are actually small demons.  Just listen for their demonic taunts and cackling before they bite into their prey.  We can't afford to give Horseshoe Crabs the benefit of the doubt. 

[Nightlord01]

What's wrong with spiders? Here in Australia the spiders are about the only thing that's not actively trying to kill you!

Sure, they're some of the most venomous spiders in the world, but they only bite when you accidentally hurt them while you're hiding together form all the things that actually are trying to kill you!

This little guy is the most benign wildlife we have!

[gyedid]

What's wrong with spiders? Here in Australia the spiders are about the only thing that's not actively trying to kill you!

Sure, they're some of the most venomous spiders in the world, but they only bite when you accidentally hurt them while you're hiding together form all the things that actually are trying to kill you!

This little guy is the most benign wildlife we have!

Aren't you the country that banned those episodes of Peppa Pig that feature cute little Mr Skinnylegs, because they actually make spiders look benign?

cheers,

Gabe

[gyedid]

Scientifically, the issue here is that it has long been known that horseshoe crabs were CHELICERATES, but what was not known was which branch of chelicerates they were most closely allied to--whether they were actually part of the arachnid clade, or their own separate branch like sea spiders (which despite the common name aren't actually arachnids, and might not actually be chelicerates to boot).  What makes this study interesting and controversial is that the horseshoe "crabs" are shown as part of a grouping where all the other members are terrestrial, the implication being that they are actually secondarily aquatic.  It also implies that our definition of "arachnid" could be expanded, not least because unlike most arachnids, these have five pairs of walking legs, rather than four.

cheers,

Gabe

[Feenix74]

Aren't you the country that banned those episodes of Peppa Pig that feature cute little Mr Skinnylegs, because they actually make spiders look benign?

cheers,

Gabe

Nope, we have benign, cute spiders, for example the peacock jumping spiders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratus_volans)



As well as the deadly ones like the funnel web spider (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_funnel-web_spider)



The trick is to know the difference . . .

Luckily we do not have horseshoe crabs, because the blue ringed octopi ate them all (yes, blue ringed octopi are one of the world's most deadly marine creatures, their venom contains the powerful neurotoxin)

[Nightlord01]

Aren't you the country that banned those episodes of Peppa Pig that feature cute little Mr Skinnylegs, because they actually make spiders look benign?

cheers,

Gabe

Nope, not something we can ban tv shows for. There's pretty strict rules for what can be banned and why, and making wildlife look benign isn't one of them. We do, however, have lots of warning signs and the occasional TV program showing us the dangers of our more... lethal... arachnid neighbours, but that's just to tell us who you do and don't want to share your room with. (You're going to share it with someone, best it not be a funnel web though. Red Backs are a line ball.) :)

[Feenix74]

As my wife and two daughters dislike spiders, therefore I have to enforece a persecute with extreme prejudice policy in out house.

We do not get funnel webs in Canberra but we do get a lot of redbacks.

[Nightlord01]

As my wife and two daughters dislike spiders, therefore I have to enforece a persecute with extreme prejudice policy in out house.

We do not get funnel webs in Canberra but we do get a lot of redbacks.

Sorry to tell you this, but you definitely get Funnel Webs in Canberra, I killed a bunch of them when I lived in Belconnen.

There's a lot more of them in Sydney and surrounds, but they definitely make it to Canberra. :P

You also have the joy of abundant brown snakes and black snakes, but hey, at least no Taipans. :)

[Feenix74]

Interesting, I have been here 17 years and most of it spent around Belconnen and Gungahlin on the northside of Canberra and I have never seen a funnel web. I saw a few funnel webs growing up in Sydney. We have had a lot of redbacks in the last couple of years at our place because there has been a lot of new suburbs springing up around us and that seems to have forced the redbacks to migrate from their former paddock homes to take up residence in the already built-up areas.

Yes, and we do have alot of brown snakes (even a problem at the campus where I work near the heart of the city) although the snakes are generally more prevalent in the rural and semi-rural areas just outside of suburban Canberra. One of my colleagues lost both of his terrier dogs in one day to a brown snake that decided to take up residence in his garden out at Bungedore.

[Kidd]

You also have the joy of abundant brown snakes and black snakes, but hey, at least no Taipans. :)

I have a lot of difficulty with this sentence.

[Orin J.]

As my wife and two daughters dislike spiders, therefore I have to enforece a persecute with extreme prejudice policy in out house.

in the outhouse i can understand, no spider has any business setting up shop over the shitter!  ;D

[worktroll]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDAiq2-xeU

[jimdigris]

Nope, we have benign, cute spiders, for example the peacock jumping spiders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratus_volans)

They also help land planes and direct traffic when the lights are not working properly.

[Nightlord01]

I have a lot of difficulty with this sentence.

This is the Internet, you expect proper English at all times? :)

[dgorsman]

They also help land planes and direct traffic when the lights are not working properly.

If that's big enough to help planes land, the lights not working are the least of the problems.  Or maybe it's a good thing it's dark.

[Kidd]

This is the Internet, you expect proper English at all times? :)

No, I meant the concept that having an abundance of the 2nd most venomous land snake in the world is preferable :D because of course the alternative is THE most venomous land snake in the world!

[Nightlord01]

No, I meant the concept that having an abundance of the 2nd most venomous land snake in the world is preferable :D because of course the alternative is THE most venomous land snake in the world!

Ahh, fair enough then. :)

And yeah, I traded one for the other, as well as crocodiles, tiger sharks, and an abundance of other nasties.

What can I say? It would feel wrong somehow I was safe wander out and about in the local bushland, or my back yard, for that matter.

[Sartris]

One of the few benefits to living in a place where it gets below zero (f) regularly in the winter - it keeps the riff raff out

[rebs]

No doubt.  And living in a land-locked state keeps the horse shoe crabs someone else's problem.  I promise to wear a black armband for any of you killed by the menace, though.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

No, I meant the concept that having an abundance of the 2nd most venomous land snake in the world is preferable :D because of course the alternative is THE most venomous land snake in the world!

Give how long it took for scientists to realize that the inland Taipan was venomous because of how non-aggressive it was, I think it'd be preferable to many of the less venomous but much meaner alternatives.

[truetanker]

You mean like the two-legged man eater that distracts it's prey with perfume and high heels?

 8)
TT

[Sharpnel]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Luciora]

Yes.  People have asked.

https://www.quora.com/Are-Horseshoe-crabs-edible

[gyedid]

No doubt.  And living in a land-locked state keeps the horse shoe crabs someone else's problem.  I promise to wear a black armband for any of you killed by the menace, though.

Um...it's not the horseshoe crabs (they're not really "crabs", so call them "xiphosurans") that are the health hazard here.
(Indeed, it's hard to imagine them being any kind of threat to anyone...)

cheers,

Gabe

[rebs]

Um...it's not the horseshoe crabs (they're not really "crabs", so call them "xiphosurans") that are the health hazard here.
(Indeed, it's hard to imagine them being any kind of threat to anyone...)

cheers,

Gabe

That was a joke continued from the OP, about Horse Shoe Crabs being arachnid invaders.