Lucas: Hilton Head museum times educational series with horseshoe crab spawning season
Ah the mighty horseshoe crab. Odd in appearance. Amazing in anatomy.
For example, did you know the horseshoe crab is among the oldest living species on earth predating even dinosaurs? And even more incredibly, their blue blood aids in medical research?
In fact, they’re so irrevocably linked with the ecology of the Lowcountry that the Coastal Discovery Museum times its annual educational series on the horseshoe crab with the species’ springtime spawning season.
As Dawn Brut, curator of education for the museum explains, the lectures are a way to let visitors and residents know what they’re seeing.
“It’s really something to see,” said Brut of the hundreds if not thousands of animals which will soon appear on beaches and in coves around Beaufort County.
The prehistoric-looking crab — which actually aren’t crabs at all but are more closely related to arachnids, the group that includes spiders and scorpions — usually come out when tides are high in order to breed and lay their eggs.
“It’s just an incredible sight,” said Brut.
And not only has their distinctive blood helped protect people from deadly toxins and infection, their eggs provide an important source of food and energy for the Red Knot forever linking the migratory shorebird’s survival to that of their own.
“It’s really amazing,” Brut said. “So we talk about their importance to us and their ecological importance.”
We talk about their importance to us and their ecological importance.
Dawn Brut
curator of education for the Coastal Discovery MuseumMindy Lucas: 843-706-8152, mlucas@islandpacket.com, @MindyatIPBG
If You Go
The Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn will present “Horseshoe Crabs: Living Fossils” at 5:30 p.m. April 20 and 21, May 5 and 6, and May 23.
The one-hour program will feature live juvenile horseshoe crabs. Participants will learn about the species’ spawning behavior, life cycle, where they can be viewed and how to protect them.
The program costs $7 and is free for ages 8 and younger.
Reservations are required. Call 843-689-6767, ext. 223.
The museum is located at 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head.
Conservation
Stranded horseshoe crabs are a common occurrence and can lead to the species’ death. Research into how preventing their death helps conserve their numbers led to a program in Delaware called “Just Flip ‘Em.”
The idea behind the program is simple. If you see a horseshoe crab stranded upside down, flip it over. However, it’s important not to flip them by their tail, which can be very delicate and easily damaged.
The pointy tail may look scary but is actually harmless. In addition, you’ll be glad to know, the horseshoe crab doesn’t sting or bite.
To learn more, visit www.horseshoecrab.org.
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 5:11 AM with the headline "Lucas: Hilton Head museum times educational series with horseshoe crab spawning season."