Horseshoe Crabs on Cape Cod (Polly #3)

Polly surrounded by cast-off horseshoe crab shells

Horseshoe crabs, crabs, lobsters, spiders, scorpions, and insects belong to the group of animals called Arthropods. This means that they are invertebrates (no backbone) that have jointed appendages, segmented bodies, and an exoskeleton (external skeleton).

While visiting Cape Cod as a little girl, I used to find what I called, “horseshoe crab bodies” scattered by the dozens along the high tide mark on my Uncle Steve’s beach. I marveled over how many horseshoe crabs died each year, and I always felt a little saddened by this discovery. In response to that feeling, my cousin and I often hosted elaborate horseshoe crab funerals, complete with a proper burial in the sand and headstones made from flat, smooth stones. Out of deep respect, we often decorated the grave sites with seaweed and shells.

A molted shell that has faded to a light sandy tan from the hot summer sun

It wasn’t until years later when I learned that what I had been finding on the beach weren’t dead horseshoe crabs at all, but rather the exoskeletons from when they had recently grown and molted.

Horseshoe crabs shed (molt) their shells as they grow larger. When a new shell forms underneath, the old shell splits, the horseshoe crab crawls out and leaves the old shell behind. These molted shells are then swept to shore with the tide and left scattered about the beach.

This summer when I was visiting Cape Cod, I headed to the place where I spent so much time as a child, and was surprised by how many horseshoe crab exoskeletons were on the sandy beach—there were hundreds! I don’t remember ever seeing so many at one time. I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of Polly #3 sitting on the beach with a few of the cast-off shells. I didn’t host a funeral this time, but I did smile at a sweet childhood memory!

Uncle Steve's Beach--a beautiful view--and great memories!

A wonderful book about horseshoe crabs!

Crab Moon (Read and Wonder)

This story is about a young boy named Daniel who witnesses the amazing sight of hundreds of horseshoe crabs spawning on the beach at night. He returns the next morning and finds a seemingly abandoned horseshoe crab stranded on its back. Danial flips the horseshoe crab over and helps it find its way back to the ocean. This book is beautifully illustrated and is interwoven with interesting facts about horseshoe crabs–the often misunderstood creatures that have occupied our planet since before the time of the dinosaur!

The Story of a Food Web

Unbeknownst to most people, horseshoe crabs play a vital role in the survival of many shorebirds. Horseshoe crabs lay billions of eggs every spring along the beaches of the Delaware Bay and shorebirds stop here for nourishment along their long migration from South America to the Arctic Circle. This is a “circle of life” story worth reading! This book would be the perfect partner for the video: Crash: A Tale of Two Species (link found above)

Great learning tool!

This soft, true-to-life horseshoe crab is a must for classrooms! Educational information in five languages is included with each vinyl replica.

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Tags: Polly 3