{"id":204259,"date":"2025-04-23T00:03:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=851161"},"modified":"2025-04-23T00:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:03:11","slug":"animal-that-once-lived-with-dinosaurs-helps-keep-nasa-kennedy-in-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=204259","title":{"rendered":"Animal That Once Lived With Dinosaurs Helps Keep NASA Kennedy In Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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3 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A researcher inspects the interior of a male American horseshoe crab at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Known scientifically as Limulus polyphemus, the American horseshoe crab is vital to researchers\u2019 understanding of the overall health of NASA Kennedy\u2019s ecosystem.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

They\u2019re known as \u201cliving fossils\u201d.<\/p>\n

For over 450 million years, horseshoe crabs have been an ecologically vital part of our planet. They\u2019re one of the few surviving species on Earth dating back to the dinosaurs.<\/p>\n

At NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus<\/em>) is one of more than 1,500 types of animals and plants you can find living on its over 144,000 acres, the majority of which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Sharing a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore, NASA Kennedy is one of the most biologically diverse places in the United States.<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s land, water, and air species live alongside the symbols of America\u2019s space program: the vital facilities and infrastructure that support the many launches at NASA Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as well as the rockets enabling humanity\u2019s exploration of the cosmos.<\/p>\n

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Researchers measure the shell of a male and female American horseshoe crab at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Known scientifically as Limulus polyphemus, the American horseshoe crab is vital to researchers\u2019 understanding of the overall health of NASA Kennedy\u2019s ecosystem. <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Preserving NASA Kennedy\u2019s wildlife while also fulfilling the agency\u2019s mission requires a balanced approach. The American horseshoe crab exemplifies that balance.<\/p>\n

Horseshoe crabs are keystone species in coastal and estuary systems like the ones surrounding Earth\u2019s premier spaceport. By themselves, these resilient arthropods are a strong indicator of how an ecosystem is doing to support the migratory birds, sea turtles, alligators and other wildlife who rely on it for their survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe presence and abundance of horseshoe crabs influence the structure and functioning of the entire ecosystem,\u201d said James T. Brooks, an environmental protection specialist at NASA Kennedy. \u201cTheir eggs provide a vital food source for many shorebirds in coastal habitats, and their feeding activities help shape the composition of plants and animals that live at the bottom of the ocean or in rivers and lakes. Changes in horseshoe crab populations can signal broader ecological issues, such as pollution or habitat loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

As featured recently on NASA+,<\/a> biologists survey NASA Kennedy\u2019s beaches regularly for horseshoe crabs, counting each one they spot and tagging them with devices that lets researchers study their migration patterns and survival rates. The devices also track the crabs\u2019 spawning activity, habitat health, and population trends, especially during peak breeding seasons in spring and summer.<\/p>\n

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