Erica Baugh, one of our interns, recently gave a lecture on horseshoe crabs to adults, and then gave a repeat performance to families at the Nature Center on Saturday afternoon.  Erica’s enthusiasm for these prehistoric creatures is visibly evident, and she is able to communicate that joy to adults and children alike.

Horseshoe crabs have been around for 445 million years… that’s quite a while.  They come ashore, usually during the full moon in the spring, to lay and fertilize eggs.  Sometimes we find them on the beach, seemingly stranded by the high tide.  In fact, they are probably just exhausted, but you can help by flipping them if they are upside down.

Erica showed us where to find the book gills and tell what gender the crab is by looking at the feet.  She also brought some eggs and larval crabs for us to look at.  Many migratory shorebirds depend on the eggs for survival.

A rather large crowd was on hand in the Nature center to learn all about these fascinating creatures.