Monsters From The Deep

What are those strange-looking creatures on the shore of the Delaware Bay?They look like a cross between a horse’s hoof and a crab. Sure enough, they are called horseshoe crabs. But they are neither horseshoes nor crabs. They are actually more similar to spiders than to crabs. But don’t worry. They are not poisonous and don’t bite. You can even harmlessly stick your finger in their mouth, located on their underside. Their only danger to us is if we happen to step on their pointy tail with our bare feet. Their tail, called a telson, is not a weapon; but is used to right the animal if it gets flipped over.These strange creatures emerge from the depths of the Delaware Bay each May to deposit their eggs in the surf. Many die and their shells can be found in immense numbers along certain parts of the New Jersey side of the bay. The largest and densest population of these creatures in the world is found right here.Horseshoe crabs have some surprising features:1. They can go for a year withou