Horseshoe Crabs of Malaysia (PDF)

This book is inspired by the uniqueness of horseshoe crabs as an animal. It is amazing that the classical and rather simple design of the animal helps them to survive millions of years with only slight modifications. The helmet like carapace and the benthic behaviour are the keys to its survival story. In fact as an adult it is almost predator free.It is even more interesting that Malaysia hosts three out of four horseshoe crab species in the world. This warrants more efforts to be taken to educate all Malaysians about this animal which used to roam our waters and make common scenes on beaches in the 1970s and before. Populations are decreasing, and it is happening around the globe for all four species. With their proven successful armour that survived them since long ago, now the only main "predator" that leads to he shrinking number is believed to be the most advanced of all animals on earth – we humans!This book is intended to reach as many audience as it could, designed in a simple and light manner with many images to make reading fun. It is meant to introduce horseshoe crabs to those who have never seen them, and to give additional information to those who know them. It is part of the effort of Horseshoe Crab Research Group of UMT to educate Malaysians on horseshoe crabs and the importance to conserve them.