The weather is finally getting warmer, leaves are budding on trees and flowers are in bloom. Spring is officially all around us. The season also marks the return of one of the state’s most fascinating species -- horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs are making their way back to Connecticut beaches but why exactly do these ancient creatures appear every year? I’m Nick Tiedemann, and you’re listening to Discovery Deep Dive.
Despite their name, Horseshoe crabs are not technically crabs. They are actually ancient marine arthropods, more closely related to scorpions and spiders than true crabs. They are often referred to as living fossils due to their minimal evolutionary change over hundreds of millions of years. Scientists have found fossils of arthropods that lived over 445 million years ago.
This makes horseshoe crabs even older than dinosaurs. The resilient species went on to survive the extinction event that wiped away dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Today, four horseshoe crab species survive. Three species can be found in Asia’s coastal waters, and one can be found in the Atlantic coastal waters of North America.
Each spring, residents can expect to see the Atlantic species return to the beaches of Long Island sound. However, the 400-million-year-old species is facing a variety of threats such as overharvesting, habitat loss and climate change. Studies by researchers at Norwalk’s Maritime aquarium say they are seeing anywhere from a 2% to 9% decline in horseshoe crab populations on the sound every year since the 1980s.
If you’d like to get involved, you can help marine biologists by visiting local beaches and tagging crabs. There are also simple but meaningful ways we can help protect horseshoe crabs. If you see one stranded or flipped over on the beach, gently turning it back over can make the difference between life and death. It’s also important to avoid disturbing spawning areas during peak season and to give these animals plenty of space as they come ashore. Supporting local conservation efforts, reporting sightings to researchers, and participating in beach cleanups are all ways we can help ensure horseshoe crabs continue to return to Connecticut’s shores for generations to come.
