Horseshoe Crabs....Mating Season

The female drags the male to the water's edge. Once on shore, she uses her pusher legs to form a shallow nest between four and six inches deep between high- and low-tide lines. Here she deposits 5-7 clumps of 2000-4000 eggs each, or up to 20,000 eggs in aspawning episode. The attached male and any additional or satellite males that are surrounding the spawning female, move with her as she lays each clump of eggs. She will repeat this process several times over the spawning cycle laying 90,000 eggs or more in a season. It is estimated that less than ten of these eggs will survive to adulthood. Go HERE to learn more.