Today I could see 2 different forms of horseshoe crabs larvae - the young ones still don't have tails and swim a lot in the morning. The second type form looks almost like the sand. Pretty good camouflage. The first video shows the two different ages in the same spoon. I say in the video that the larger ones might be ready to molt - but maybe what has happened is that they've already molted and their shells aren't completely hardened yet because you can still see through the shell. I'm just guessing here. Or maybe their digestive system (guts) aren't fully formed yet and that's why they're semi-transparent.
The second video you'll have to look at pretty carefully to see any movement in the sand - like I said, they are well camouflaged and active.
And now for the latest photo: this larvae looks different from the earlier one - the formation of a little tail (maybe) and the lack of a pinkish attached yolk. It's a faint photo and I tried to improve the contrast but it's not the greatest.
It looks a bit more formed than the other day - you can kind of see the tail forming? Maybe? I'm thinking there's no yolk meaning that it has gotten to the point of needing food so I'm glad I added brine shrimp today. This one was on his/her back so you can't see the eyes.
And that's what the tank and the crabs look like now - July 10, 2012
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