A small pond has found ancient creatures dating back 200 million years
Recently, according to media reports, a citizen of Donghai County, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, accidentally found a suspected "three-eyed shrimp" creature when taking photos in the community pond, and went home to check the data and found that this "three-eyed shrimp" is very similar to a creature of the dinosaur era, after observation and analysis by experts from Jiangsu Ocean University, it was confirmed that this creature was named "horseshoe" and lived in the dinosaur era 200 million years ago.
It is reported that the citizen who found the "three-eyed shrimp" is surnamed Song, who is usually very interested in insect photography, and the reason why he photographed the "three-eyed shrimp" this time is because he found bugs swimming in the water when he passed the pond, and he did not expect that this "bug" was an ancient creature.
After this news spread to the Internet, it attracted the attention and discussion of the majority of netizens, many netizens said: Before the Sichuan restaurant found dinosaur footprints, and now in the pond found with dinosaurs contemporaries of the creatures, really have to sigh the world is no wonder. However, some netizens have asked: horseshoe crabs and dinosaurs lived in the same era, why did dinosaurs disappear in the mass extinction of organisms 65 million years ago, while horseshoe crabs can survive to this day? How did it escape the mass extinction?
What exactly is a scorpion?
Before answering the above questions, let's take a brief look at the horseshoe crab. The horseshoe crab, commonly known as the "three-eyed dinosaur shrimp", is a freshwater crustacean. The scorpion has three eyes, which are black compound eyes on both sides and a white light-sensitive eye in the middle, which is about 10 cm long and divided into about 40 segments.
The whole is dark gray-green , with an oval dorsal shell with an elongated abdomen and a forked tail. The first appearance of the horseshoe crab in the Permian period 200 million years ago, even longer than the dinosaurs, because it appeared on the earth earlier and experienced the extinction of the dinosaurs did not disappear, so it is also known as the "three-eyed dinosaur shrimp".
The horseshoe crab found in the community is called "Jiapeng Crab"
According to experts, the "three-eyed dinosaur shrimp" in the community pond is called Jiapeng scorpion, which belongs to the suborder gill of the arthropod phylum, and its distribution range is relatively wide, and it is found in north China, northeast China, east China and south China. It is reported that the survival cycle of the horseshoe is very short, generally around 90 days, and the larvae have to undergo multiple dehulling before they can develop into adults.
In addition, the horseshoe crab has certain requirements for water quality and water temperature, and if it does not meet the requirements, it may die. In this way, the vitality of the horseshoe is very fragile, so how did it "escape" the mass extinction of organisms and survive to this day?
The scorpion is extremely vigorous
In fact, the life force of the horseshoe crab is not fragile. On the contrary, the eggs of the horseshoe are extremely vigorous, and their diapause period is at least 25 years. The so-called "diapause period" refers to a static state produced by the influence of environmental conditions, often occurring at a certain stage of development of the animal.
Unlike the dormant state, animals dormant is caused by adverse environmental conditions such as low temperature and drought, and can be normally active after the environment is restored; Animal diapause, on the other hand, occurs before the arrival of adverse circumstances and is induced by certain seasonal signals, and usually, animal diapause begins and ends with certain time and conditions.
How did it "escape" mass extinction?
According to experts, the eggs of the horseshoe can survive diapause for more than 20 years, and when they are not adapted to the harsh environment, they will become dormant eggs, hidden in the soil or organic debris, and as birds or animals spread, they will spread to a wide range. This is the "stunt" that the horseshoe can escape the mass extinction of organisms, and it is also the reason why it is now widely inhabited in various parts of the continent. It is reported that it has now become one of the most popular "creatures" of farmers, why is this?
Horseshoe crabs are also called "weed weeders"
Although the horseshoe crab may not look good, it is a beneficial animal. Japanese farmers use the horseshoe crab as a pesticide substitute for growing rice because it removes weeds from paddy fields and allows rice to grow better. In fact, as early as the early 20s, the weeding effect of the busbark was discovered by humans, and Japanese farmers also called it "weeding insect". In addition, some people in Japan and Taiwan also raise horseshoe crabs as pets.
What do you think about that? Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab in real life? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section.
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