The Horseshoe Crab should really be designated as Delaware's Mascot. May and June are when Delaware Bays are hopping with mating Horseshoe Crabs, climbing and crawling and
floating- I LOVE IT. Many other's do not, and when you look at these guys it's easy to understand why. I'll take a beach INFESTED with these grand creatures over a people anyday.
These crabs are dinosaurs, legitimately around for the past 350 million years. They are by far my son's favorite friend in the sand.
When it comes to Horseshoe Crabs, Delaware is internationally famous. The creatures stick to schedule - with their migratory journey arriving here in spring and forming the world’s largest concentration of spawning horseshoe crabs- YEAR AFTER YEAR.
Like most creatures, these scorpions of the sea have behaviors that are in sync with the tides and rotations of the moon. They spawn in spring when the tides are at their highest point. The ladies can lay tens of thousands of eggs while males are smaller in size and have a clasper (boxing glove-like structure) on their first pair of legs. –Can you tell this excites me? I live for this. They (and their eggs) are so crucial as a food source for our shorebirds, and you will often find their outer shell with it's inside parts already picked clean. Although they look like a sea monster with their knife-life edges and grasping legs, they are harmless (unless your foot goes down on top of one in the water) and should be appreciated and admired.
Although they look visually plentiful in Delaware, Horseshoe Crabs are classified as VULNERABLE - Conservation Status
They also have a bit of magic in them- these crabs have supernatural blood that is used in the medical field to test for bacteria. This blue colored blood creates strong immunity - no wonder they have been able to sustain so long.
Check out this 1928 harvest of Horseshoe crabs in Delaware- Prior to the Conservation Efforts we have today. They were used as fertilizer and feed for animals back then.
