Hot Times on Slaughter Beach

It’s ten o’clock on a warm, star-filled night. A sliver of moon eases towards the horizon. The lights from the ships waiting to enter Philadelphia harbor dance on the water. The tide is rolling in to the sand of Slaughter Beach, near Milford DE. And in the sand – it is party time!

May and June are spawning time for horseshoe crabs. These leftovers from prehistoric times look something like amphibious tanks as they lumber across the sand. The rear appendage is a long, sharp spine that shoots straight up when the crab is threatened. They’re an important part of coastal ecology and because of some unique properties, their blood has a lot of
scientific value including insuring purity of pharmaceuticals.

While there are several million of the critters crawling around the Atlantic seafloor, they are picky about where they engage in shall-we-say ‘interpersonal relations.’ Not every beach is suitable for a Limulus Polyphemus orgy. Somewhat remote and quite protected, Slaughter Beach is one of them. So, like graduating high schoolers, the crabs head for the beach to frolic in the sand.

As the tide pushes them towards the beach, the crabs swim about, finding partners as they reach the sand. The females are considerably larger than the males. Some of them are the size of banquet platters, while the males are more like salad plates. As the girls dig into the sand where they will deposit their fertilized eggs, the guys collect around and on them, sometimes as many as six clattering around the hard carapace while they insure survival of the species.

The crabs do spawn during daylight hours, but most of the activity is at night, the closer to high tide, the better. Walk up the beach and shine your flashlight at what first appears to be rocks in the water.You’ll see the crabs, dozens of them, sometimes paired off, sometimes in a group grope cluster. With the waves washing over them, it’s hard not to think of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr’s beach scene in From Here to Eternity…

To see the crabs, park in the lot beside the Slaughter Beach Fire Department. It’s adjacent to the beach. Carry a flashlight, slather on the bug repellent, and be ready to get your feet wet. Sometimes the tides upend a crab. If you see one on its back, kicking its legs in the air in a futile attempt to right itself, flip it over by the shell – not the tail. They cannot bite, claw, or otherwise hurt you. And you’ll be helping guarantee these amazing creatures will be around for another few thousand years.

The DuPont Nature Center has a day-long celebration of the Horseshoe Crab this Saturday, “Peace, Love & Horseshoe Crabs.” Educational activities, silent auction, food, lots for kids to do. The overlook at the center is one of the better places for watching the crabs as they come ashore to lay their eggs. 9-4 p.m. Free. Map & directions at http://www.dupontnaturecenter.org

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