errrmmm 0_0 someone put me down bc i got this sick tat a few days ago B)) gonna try to post more and get into art again, i may not post alot or spend my time drawing but ill never give it up!!!
As I continue working on finishing up the lower arm portion of my prehistoric sleeve, take a look at my most recent piece – a “living fossil,” the horseshoe crab! Despite their name, they are not actually true crabs or crustaceans: they are chelicerates, which are most closely related to arachnids such as spiders and scorpions! 🕷️🦂
Having existed nearly unchanged for at least 445 million years, horseshoe crabs were around well before even dinosaurs roamed the Earth! Their bodies consist of a tank-like structure made up of a hard carapace and a spike-like tail called a telson. Despite the sharp tail though, horseshoe crabs are completely harmless and only use the appendage to flip themselves back over if they get overturned by a wave. In fact, you may even be alive today because of a horseshoe crab! Their bright blue blood (which comes from having the oxygen-carrying protein hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin) contains a unique enzyme called limulus amebocyte lysate, or LAL. Biomedical companies use LAL to test medicines, vaccines, implants, and more for potentially deadly bacterial endotoxins to make sure they’re safe for humans! For this and many other reasons, I’m happy to pay tribute to this special creature that’s stood the test of time with this amazingly detailed forearm tattoo!