I took a walk along the beach the other day at high tide and there were Horseshoe Crabs everywhere! I counted 55 in one little area. I contacted the expert at the Massachusetts Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet to tell him what I had seen. He said that with the warmer weather now, the Horseshoe Crabs will be very active.
Did you know that Horseshoe crabs are an ancient group of arthropods whose bodies are encased in a hard, oval shell? They have a long, rigid tail and five pairs of legs that they use for crawling, swimming, and gathering food.
It was low tide at the Wellfleet Audubon Sanctuary on Cape Cod so we were able to walk all the way out to the beaches. You have to walk part of the way on a boardwalk that is submerged when the tides are higher.
We were treated to many shorebirds that day darting about the eddies, looking for food. But this Greater Yellowlegs was absolutely stunning as he waded through the water.
