Finding horseshoe crab shells in shallow water

What they are looking at are not dead horseshoe crabs but their molts that they need to shed at least once a year. In areas where Limulus is common, the shells, exoskeletons or exuviae (molted shells) of horseshoe crabs frequently wash up on beaches, either as whole shells, or as disarticulated pieces.

The shell of these animals consists of three parts.

The carapace is the smooth frontmost part of the crab which contains the eyes (five pairs), one pair of small pincers/chelicerae used to move food towards the mouth, five pairs of walking legs (the first four with claws, the last with a leaflike structure used for pushing), the mouth in between the legs, the brain, and the heart.

The abdomen is the middle portion where the gills are attached as well as the genital operculum. The last section is the telson (i.e., tail or caudal spine) which is used to steer in the water and also to flip itself over if stuck upside down.

The horseshoe crab can grow up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in length (including tail); the female is typically 25 to 30 percent larger than the male.

With the storm just off the coast though, we’ve been getting pounded with high winds and rain the last week, so the lagoon water was really high so I didn’t have a lot of luck getting the shells. I did get one (I usually pick up about a hundred or so per trip) … but mostly I got wet. With the water being so high I was doing a lot of wading.

It is always an adventure though. Just take a look at this guy that was watching me the whole time. He made me a little nervous, he just kept following me around.

Nine foot Florida aligator

This is a Florida Alligator – I’d estimate he was about 9 feet long

I was really hoping to get more shells, I have a man from Australia that want’s to buy a 100 of them, better luck next time I guess.

I’ll try again this weekend. It’s supposed to be really nice. Wish me luck.