FWC Offers Online Survey To Learn More About the Habitat Of Horseshoe Crabs

FLORIDA — You'll probably see more group horseshoe crab activity along the shores of Florida beginning in March for their peak mating season, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) news release said.

Horseshoe crabs mate year-round, and it is most common to see mating groups along the shore of sandy, lower wave action beaches from March to April, and September to October. These months are ideal for FWC biologists because sightings can be reported by anyone who sees the ancient creatures through an online survey.

Horseshoe crabs mate by pairing up, with the smaller male attached to the larger female. They then crawl onto the beach up to the high tide line where the female digs a nest and lays her eggs, all while the male is attached and fertilizes the freshly laid eggs.

Although horseshoe crabs have existed for more than 450 million years, scientists are still learning about Florida populations. Public sighting information helps FWC researchers target nesting beaches for the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Program, a community science-based initiative to collect data throughout the state.

Reporting horseshoe crab sightings also provides valuable information about habitat use, population distribution and environmental conditions for nesting to the FWC, staff said.

If you see a horseshoe crab on its back, you can help it flip back over by gently picking it up (holding both sides of the shell), turning it over and releasing it back into the water, FWC said.

Simple actions such as this help conserve this species and the many other species that depend on it. The FWC asks the public to report sightings by visiting MyFWC.com/research and clicking on “Crustaceans” then “Horseshoe Crabs” and selecting “Report Your Nesting Horseshoe Crab Sighting”.