Search Everything in the Lowcountry and the Coastal Empire.
Sex on the beach: Horseshoe crabs crowd area shorelines to reproduce
Email it
Print it
Feeds
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
During mating season, horseshoe crabs have no problem getting lucky.
After all, they've been getting together to reproduce for more than 400 million years.
Peak mating season is in full swing, so to speak, from now through June.
At high tide and during full or new moons, local beach walkers can expect to see the fierce-looking, U-shaped creatures with pointy tails and spiny backs. There's no need to fear. These prehistoric animals are harmless and come to the beach to spawn and lay their eggs.
Related Content
horseshoecrab.org Males, typically 20 percent smaller than females, have two special legs designed to grip females during the mating ritual. Females lay about 80,000 eggs a year.
Carlos Chacon, natural history manager at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island, said some of those eggs are eaten by migratory shore birds, especially the Red Knot. At least 11 species of migratory birds consume horseshoe crab eggs as their primary food, according to the Ecological Research and Development Group's Web site, www.horseshoecrab.org.
Though called a crab because of its hard shell, the creature actually is not a crab at all. It's a marine anthropod whose closest relative is a scorpion or spider. It belongs to its own class called Merostomata, which means, "legs attached to the mouth." That's apt since their mouths are located in the center of their bodies, where the legs attach.
The crabs are useful for human medicines. Their molted shells are used to make sutures and burn dressings. Horseshoe crab blood also is used in injectable medications to ensure products are free of bacteria.
Many labs catch the crabs, drain 30 percent of their blood and return them to the ocean. Once returned to the water, the horseshoe crab's blood volume rebounds in about a week, according to horseshoecrab.org.
creature feature
What: Horseshoe crab
Age: More than 400 million years, predating the dinosaurs
Anatomy: 10 eyes and 16 legs
Lifespan: About 20 years
Source: www.horseshoecrab.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Ohio fliers released from hospital following emergency landing
- Whose chili was hot stuff at Saturday's festival at Honey Horn?
- Lowcountry's charm makes current crisis easier to bear
- Crime reports
- Pollution or prosperity: Which will offshore drilling bring to South Carolina?
- Celeb chef serves fundraiser banquet
- Is the future of the state's electric power blowing in the wind?
- Obama fails to show leadership when needed
- Two walk away from emergency landing in greater Bluffton
- College football's old guys still have their winning touch
Capturing Life in the Lowcountry Since 1970
Terms of Use
