As you wander the beaches on the Atlantic Coast these days, keep an eye out for overturned horseshoe crabs. You can easily and safely flip them over, helping this living fossil so important to shorebirds and people. ow.ly/LvM350A53ME
Photo by Danielle Brigida/USFWS
Horseshoe crabs are already facing a number of threats to their population. They come to shore to spawn but thousands and will get overturned or stuck too far up the beach. Their tail (also known as a telson) is meant to help in this endeavor but doesn’t always.
Here are a few simple things to know when you encounter a wild (and likely beached) horseshoe crab.
