Hordes of horny horseshoe crabs are coming to a beach near you, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants you to document it.
Although they mate year-round, groups of horseshoe crabs are commonly seen reproducing along shores in March and April, especially around high tide within a few days of a new or full moon.
“Reporting horseshoe crab sightings provides important information about habitat use, population distribution and environmental conditions for spawning to FWC marine biologists,” the FWC said in a statement.
“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 spawning beaches for the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Program, an initiative to collect scientifically accurate data throughout the state.”
If you see a horseshoe crab on its back, and you don’t mind getting close, the FWC encourages you to gently turn it back over and release it into the water.
If you see horseshoe crabs gettin’ it on, the FWC is asking that you fill out a survey, report the sighting on the FWC Reporter app or contact the FWC at Horseshoe@MyFWC.com or 866-252-9326.
https://www.facebook.com/MyFWC/posts/10157975157733349Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
This article appears in Feb 13-20, 2020.