For the @printersolstice #printerSolstice2425 prompt copper, I made a #linocut horseshoe crab (Tachypeus gigas) in grey, blue-bronze and dark brown on 8" x 8" cream-coloured Japanese paper with bark inclusions. They get their name from their horseshoe like shape but they are not crabs; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids and they are "living fossils" which have changed very little since

there's a mysterious
marine chelicerate
that's got nine eyes
but don't lose any sleep
those nine eyes
can't form images
of you or me or anything
in the deep blue sea

there's a mysterious
marine chelicerate
that's got spikes
on five pairs of thighs
but don't lose any sleep
all those spikes
just break up food
so it can eat

it's not closely related to crabs
it's not closely related to horses
and not even related to shoes

#poetry
#xiphosuran
#horseShoeCrab
#arthropods

OMG, I love everything about this door knocker! I love the riff on its New England/RI setting, I love the brass texture next to the wooden door, I love the warm brown next to the vibrant yellow.

Anyone see the Darth Vader-like face?

some stuff I think I haven't posted here yet. (I think) The crab one is for a zine challenge by @gus , the car one is for a vehicle token pack for Lancer, the orb was just some practice and the space marine looking knight was a dtiys by bonedustuff.

Hey are you visiting the Conch Republic (aka the Florida Keys and Key West)?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking the public’s help to gather valuable information about horseshoe crabs by reporting sightings on an online survey.

Report sightings by visiting http://www.MyFWC.com/research, click on “Crustaceans,” then “Horseshoe Crabs” and selecting “Report Your Nesting Horseshoe Crab Sighting” to complete the survey.

#ConchRepublic
#Horseshoecrab
#Florida
#FloridaKeys

Adaptations across scales: Scientists learn how the #HorseshoeCrab sees through its cuticle lenses
https://phys.org/news/2022-11-scales-scientists-horseshoe-crab-cuticle.html

Gradients of Orientation, Composition, & Hydration of Proteins for Efficient Light Collection by the Cornea of the Horseshoe Crab https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202203371

Its #CompoundEyes are one the largest in nature. In contrast to many #insects and #spiders that build their eyes from glassy proteins, the horseshoe crab uses cuticle, the same material that builds its skin and legs.