Here is the deal, If you see any horseshoe crab mating on Florida beaches, the Florida Wildlife and Fish Conservation Commission (FWC) wants you to report it.
According to FWC reports, horseshoe crabs have sex on the Florida coast during their mating season which is in the spring season.
State wildlife officials are trying to find more information on shrimp population declines, so they are asking people to gather evidence and report Horseshoe crabs sightings through the FWC mobile app.
The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is one of the oldest living beings that exist. A strange creature that seems to come out of the movie “Alien”, able to endure up to a year without feeding and resist extreme temperatures and salinities. They are living fossils that inhabits our planet for 445 million years before even the dinosaurs existed.
So how can you know exactly if Horseshoe crabs are mating?
Look for a smaller male on top of a larger female crab. Professional advice: Crabs are most likely to mate on the spot during the high tide, which occurs within three days of a new or full moon, and luckily for you, on Sunday, March 12, it’s going to be a full moon.
You must report all your findings about the crabs through an online survey or by sending an email to horseshoe@MyFWC.com.
Good luck in your search and Happy Mating!