Did you know that in late spring and early summer, you may spot two or more horseshoe crabs hooked together. Special claws allow males to clasp onto a female’s shell and hitch a ride to a beach where the female lays her eggs in the sand. Each spring, up to a million migratory shorebirds arrive on the beaches of Delaware Bay to feed on horseshoe crab eggs and rebuild energy reserves before migrating north to their nesting habitats.

Read on to learn more about Atlantic horseshoe crabs!