Nearly twice as old as the dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs are one of the most ancient animals on Earth. These brown, body-armored beasts with a long, spiked tail gather in late spring for massive beach orgies. Under a full or new moon, females crawl ashore and bury masses of eggs, and mobs of males battle to fertilize them. And, thanks to public outcry — including 34,000 comments opposing their killing — many of these ancient creatures will make it through another year in the wild. 🎉 Horseshoe crab populations have crashed in recent decades and not recovered because of overharvesting. Eel and whelk fisheries use horseshoe crabs for bait, and biomedical companies harvest them for their blood, which can be used to detect toxins. But, an agency that oversees the harvest (aka mass killing) of horseshoe crabs for bait has decided to spare the females in 2024. Read more at the link in our bio. #horseshoecrab #delawarebay #wildlifeconservation #marineconservation