The young and adult horseshoe crabs spend most of their time on the sandy bottoms of inter-tidal flats or zones above the low tide mark and feed on various invertebrates. Juvenile horseshoe crabs look a lot like adults except that their tails are smaller. Horseshoe crab larvae emerge from their nests several weeks after the eggs are laid. Most nesting activity takes place during high tides around the time of a new or full moon. Some males (called satellite males) do not attach to females but still have success in fertilizing the female's eggs by hanging around the attached pair. The male fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them in a nest in the sand. When mating, the smaller male crab hooks himself to the top of the larger female’s shell by using his specialized front claws, and together they crawl to the beach. Horseshoe crabs can nest year-round in Florida, with peak spawning occurring in the spring and fall. Horseshoe crabs are known to gather in large nesting aggregations, or groups, on beaches particularly in the mid-Atlantic states such as Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland in the spring and summer, where their populations are largest. Instead, gently pick it up by both sides of the prosoma using both hands. *Never pick up a horseshoe crab by its tail, as it can harm the animal. The crabs are especially sensitive to light. They have 10 eyes, a pair of compound eyes on the prosoma, and "photo receptors" in other areas, primarily along the tail. Though the horseshoe crab's shell is hard, it is very sensitive to the world around it. Really, horseshoe crabs are just clumsy and they use their tail to flip themselves back over if they get overturned by a wave.* Some people think horseshoe crabs are dangerous animals because they have sharp tails, but they are totally harmless. Horseshoe crabs have a tank-like structure consisting of a front shell called the prosoma, a back shell called the opisthosoma, and a spike-like tail called a telson. This is because their body structure is extremely effective for survival, think, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Florida Youth Conservation Centers Networkĭespite existing for hundreds of millions of years, horseshoe crabs are nearly identical to their ancient relatives.Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.Report injured, orphaned or dead manatees.Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc.
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