Nearly twice as old as the dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs have been crawling ashore for more than 450 million years. But now they urgently need Endangered Species Act protections. To save these ancient creatures, we just sued the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to make a preliminary decision on whether to protect American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act. The Center and 25 additional organizations petitioned the agency in February 2024 to protect horseshoe crabs, who live along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. “Horseshoe crabs have saved so many people, and now it’s up to us to pay back that debt and save them,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center. “We could lose these living fossils forever if they don’t get ESA protections soon. It’s reckless to delay their obvious need for protection, so we’re going to court to force the government to do its job.” Horseshoe crab populations have crashed by more than 70% in recent decades because of overharves...