Former Natural History Museum (London) paleontologist Fortey gives us the stories of those plants, animals, and other creatures that have survived from Earth's early days--the planet's "true marathon runners."

"A comprehensive discussion of horseshoe crab biology, with detailed description of the crab's anatomy, physiology, ecology, life cycle, and immune system, as well as information on conservation efforts."--

"Each year, red knots, sandpipers weighing no more than a coffee cup, fly a near-miraculous 19,000 miles from the tip of South America to their nesting grounds in the Arctic and back. Along the way, they double their weight by gorging on millions of tiny horseshoe crab eggs. Horseshoe crabs, ancient animals that come ashore but once a year, are vital to humans, too: their blue blood safeguards our health. Now, the rufa red knot, newly listed as threatened...