Horseshoe crabs, like this mating pair on a Gloucester County - TopicsExpress



          

Horseshoe crabs, like this mating pair on a Gloucester County beach, are year-round residents of lower Chesapeake Bay. These ancient creatures, with a fossil record dating back 200 million years, emerge onto sandy beaches each spring to mate and lay eggs. The male, typically about 2/3 as big as the female, uses claws on its first pair of legs to grasp the females shell as she pulls him up the beach to the high-tide line. The female pauses every few feet to dig a hole and deposit her eggs. The male then fertilizes the eggs as he is pulled over the nest. Waves then wash a protective layer of sand over the nest.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 00:45:00 +0000

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