Photo of the Day #600: Horseshoe crabs

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Two horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) making their way down the beach towards the water. Photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.


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A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.This weekend I'm headed off to see the annual breeding explosion of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in Delaware Bay. During late May and early June, especially during the full and new moon, scores of the…
A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware. Many of the crabs that were stranded on the beach, but still alive, dug themselves into the sand near the water to stay moist during low tide.
Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) that was stranded on the beach. My wife turned it over and helped it back into the bay. Photographed May 17, 2008 at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.

I want one! I'm very concerned that the fishing industry will do them in by skimming off the "excess" after migrating birds eat their fill of the eggs, thus doing in some species of migrating birds, like the Red Knot (stupid name for a bird).

I subscribe to this artist's daily painting (about the size of a postcard), because he sometimes hooks up a web cam so you can see it being painted (an incredible number of tiny dabs). Today's photo is a horseshoe crab: Duane Keiser, Painting a Day, Horseshoe crab. Prices vary a lot - I almost bought one once but it went out of my range. I hope you don't think this is spam--I have no commercial nor personal interest; I just think it's neat.

What was the breeding mélée like? Is there much public awareness, say among ordinary tourists?