A common but rarely-glimpsed denizen of the New York Harbor is the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). This prehistoric-looking creature, which is more closely related to spiders than to crabs, has changed little over the past 450 million years.
Since before dinosaurs walked the earth, the horseshoe crab has scuttled around shallow seas on its six pairs of legs, feeding on marine invertebrates with its jawless mouth, and sensing the world around it with its ten eyes.
Despite the horseshoe crab’s unique physical traits and impressive natural history, the animal is now vulnerable to extinction. Habitat loss, overharvesting for use as fishing bait, and collection of horseshoe crab blood for biomedical research have all taken their toll on the Atlantic horseshoe crab population.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) works with the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s marine program and Stony Brook University to coordinate the New York Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Network, which conducts surveys for spawning horseshoe crabs in May and June.
Assessing the region’s population is not only critical for the horseshoe crabs themselves, but also for the migratory shorebirds that eat their eggs and sea turtles that prey on adults.
You can volunteer to count and tag horseshoe crabs at one of the monitoring network’s many sites around New York City and Long Island. You can also help any stranded or upside-down horseshoe crab you may encounter on the beach by gently lifting it by the sides of its shell and placing it in the water.
Horseshoe crabs are harmless to humans and don’t bite, pinch, or sting. New York State Parks monitors the crabs at places like Shirley Chisholm State Park in Jamaica Bay, which provides vital natural shoreline habitat for these ancient critters in a city where much of the shoreline is paved in concrete.
Flannery James is a NYC Region NYS Parks Student Conservation Association Intern at New York State Parks. This essay first appeared at the State Parks & Historic Sites Blog.
Read more about crabs in New York State.
Photo: A female horseshoe crab (left) pursued by two males. The top two horseshoe crabs are tagged (DEC photo).
Horsehoe crabs are vital in the circle of life for migratory shorebirds. Years ago I read about the plight of the Red Knot, a bird that depends on Horsehoe crabs for sustenance on their extensive migratory route. Thankfully, there is more awareness of their place in the environment and for their own sake.
Thank you for this article.