•  
  •  
 

Faculty Mentor

Amy Keagy, EdD

Faculty Mentor Department

Department of Biology

Abstract

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are fascinating animals known as “living fossils.” Older than dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs are arthropods, closely related to spiders and scorpions. Many shorebirds, including red knot, depend on the eggs of horseshoe crabs during migration. Horseshoe crabs are captured and bled alive for their blue blood. Rich in limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), their blood is used for the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test, which is used worldwide to detect bacterial toxins in pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Horseshoe crabs have an intricate anatomy, so I spent a lot of time researching it before I started drawing them. When I first started, I combed through photographs and illustrations, and I planned to rely on a damaged shell of a horseshoe crab I had since childhood. However, during a trip to St. Petersburg, the graduate student I was assisting, Ava Larson, introduced me to Bradley Furman, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Bradley gave me molts of horseshoe crabs which I used as models for this illustration. I illustrated the dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) views of the horseshoe crabs using the stippling method.

I am a senior at the University of North Florida, majoring in biology and minoring in creative writing and public and professional writing. The scientific illustrations class by Dr. Amy Keagy changed my life profoundly. Before taking Dr. Keagy’s class, I wrote stories and made surrealist paintings to connect the public with nature and science but now, I am also a scientific illustrator. I’ve always loved the natural world and felt a great connection with it, so it’s wonderful to see other people influenced by art that tells the story of nature.

Download

Share

COinS