At a Glance
- State biologists in Florida are asking the public to track mating horseshoe crabs using a new app.
- The number of horseshoe crabs has been declining, and officials are trying to track populations.
Spring is mating season for much of the animal kingdom and horseshoe crabs are no exception.
In an effort to monitor declining populations in Florida, biologists with the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are asking residents and visitors to observe and track mating crabs with a new FWC Reporter app.
These observations will help biologists gain a better understanding of where and when horseshoe crabs are spawning in Florida, Tiffany Black, a biologist that specializes in the species for the state of Florida, told weather.com in an email.
To identify mating pairs, look for a smaller male on top of a larger female.
Beachgoers will likely have the best luck spotting mating horseshoe crabs around high tide, within three days of a full or new moon, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife press release, which noted that the next full moon occurs on March 2 and the next new moon on March 17.
Sometimes referred to as "living fossils," horseshoe crabs have inhabited the earth for more than 450 million years, according to the Wetlands Institute.
Black told weather.com the species' population is declining for a variety of factors, including development, overharvesting for the bait industry and the loss of reproductive habitat.
Horseshoe crabs are used as bait in the eel and whelk fisheries, Black said.
She noted that horseshoe crabs are important for the ecosystem because shorebirds rely on their eggs as a primary food source during their long migrations. The decline in their numbers has resulted in a notable decline of many shorebird species, Black said.
(MORE: Florida Manatee Status Changed to 'Threatened' As Congress Targets Endangered Species Act)
The crabs also serve the medical community because they have a unique component in their blood, Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate, which helps with blood clotting and other medical uses.
"Horseshoe crabs are of extreme importance in the biomedical industry — their copper-based blue blood is used to test that all injectable drugs and medical equipment are bacteria-free," Black said.
In addition to observing and tracking mating habits, the biologists are also asking the public to gently pick up, turn over and place back in the water any crabs they find that are trapped on their backs.
"Simple actions like this help conserve this species and the many other species that depend on it," the biologists said in the press release.
You can download the app for free on Apple or Android smartphones or tablets from the App Store and Google Play.
If you don't want to download the app, you can also report mating by going to MyFWC.com/Contact, where you can find “Horseshoe Crab Nesting Activity” and the “Florida Horseshoe Crab Spawning Beach Survey” link. You can also report findings via email at horseshoe@MyFWC.com or by phone at (866) 252-9326.
"The horseshoe crab has existed for hundreds of millions of years," Black told weather.com. "With the public's help, it will ensure they will survive for many more years to come."
