05/24/2026
Horseshoe crabs are here! Believed to be the world’s oldest wildlife migration, dating back an estimated 350 million years, the annual spawning across the Bay's beaches occurs from May through July, peaking with high tides on or around the full and new moons in June.
One spawning female horseshoe crab will deposit an average of 20,000 eggs into the sand, with a mate grasping onto her shell and fertilizing the eggs. In addition to perpetuating the ancient species, the eggs are a seasonal buffet for migratory shorebirds, juvenile Atlantic loggerhead turtles, striped bass, American eel, and flounder.
According to Maryland DNR, humans can help horseshoe crabs stuck upside down in rock jetties by gently flipping or moving the animal, using both hands, but never picking it up by its tail.
Photo: Maria Khvan
