 The Horseshoe Crab (Limulus) is an ancient mariner indigenous to our local shores.
Every spring, they spawn on the shores of the Delaware Bay, providing food for migrating shorebirds.
For many who visit the Cape May area in the summer, the Horseshoe Crab is a childhood acquaintance, first introduced by a fierce-looking shell on a sandy beach.
For ecologists and scientists, the Horseshoe Crab is important — a vastly adaptable creature that has evolved little in the last 250 million years and predates most species on the planet.
The Horseshoe Crab offers insights into evolution and bacteria, along with other important medical research.
Click to See our Horsehoe Crab Jewelry and Gifts!
For those of us in Cape May, the Horseshoe Crab is a visitor each spring, spawning on our beaches of the Delaware Bay with the high tides of the new and full moons.
The Delaware Bay, between the Maurice River and the Cape May Canal, is home to the largest population of the Horseshoe Crab.
The Delaware Estuary is also the largest staging area for shorebirds in the Atlantic Flyway and is the second largest staging site in North America.
At least 11 species of migratory birds use Horseshoe Crab eggs as their primary food supply during their 2 to 3 week stopover. The eggs replenish their fat supply during their trip from South American wintering areas to Arctic breeding grounds.
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