Horseshoe Crabs

A poem about Horseshoe Crabs:

Have continued to survive in the Kasoka waters

Spring and Autumn a friend

A learned person gently comes, steps carefully.

Translation by Cecil H. Uychara

My friend Sharon took me on a tour of the Great Bay Discovery

Center. She said she had some friends she wanted to introduce me to. Can you imagine living close to something this beautiful?

What a unique place! The boardwalk is elevated so

people won't trounce on the grasses and wild critters that live there.

Can you find the frog in this picture?

Sharon introduced me to her buddy, Mrs. Horseshoe Crab - a very busy Horseshoe Crab, since it's mating season in the bay! These critters are one of the most highly studied arthropods
by scientists and they've discovered something in them that helps human blood coagulate. Their chitin (outer shells) have properties that have been used to help human burn victims and studies of their eyes have benefited the field of human ophthalmology. I was very pleased to make the acquaintance of this ancient little lady, whose ancestors lived here before the dinosaurs. You can read more about Horseshoe Crabs at http://www.horseshoecrab.org/index.html