Haven’t seen a horseshoe crab on our beach for several years (can you believe the horseshoe crab species is over 450 million years old?? Even predated the dinosaurs!). They used to line the shore when I was a child, mostly on their backs stranded by the outgoing tide. They were also abundant in the shallow waters where we swam, harmlessly gliding across the sandy bottom. In recent years they have been non-existent, at least to my eyes and those of many people I know.
I should dispel a couple of untruths about these gentle sea-faring beasts. According to the Long Island Sound Study, "First, horseshoe crabs are not actually crabs, such as fiddler crabs or blue crabs, which are crustaceans. They are actually more closely related to arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions. Secondly, despite their strange brown helmets and long spikey tails that make them look kind of threatening, they are harmless. The telson, or spiked tail, that some people are afraid of is simply used to help the animal right itself when it’s upside down."
Thankfully in the last couple of years they seem to making a slight comeback. But there is a battle going on between local fishermen, who harvest them for bait and say there are plenty to go around, and the DEC who insists they are a vulnerable species whose numbers are declining rapidly. Hopefully they can come to some agreement about protective measures. What a shame it would be to lose a specimen that has been around since the ice age.
One tidbit if you think you’d like to help save them: Do not pick them up by the tail if you see them stranded on the sand! This is a critical joint and you will break it if you do. They need it to turn themselves over if they flip on their backside – otherwise they face certain death. I cringe when I think about all the horseshoe crabs I “helped” when I was young. God forgive me. If you have are brave enough, pick up the horseshoe crab on both sides and gently turn it over.
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