Crabspawn 2016
Friday, 3 June 2016
When the horseshoe crabs spawn they fill the sea with their eggs. Why the numbers is not a mystery for long as shorebirds go in to a feeding frenzy and gobble up as many as their bellies will take while the opportunity is there.
So by laying so many, the crabs assure that at least some of the eggs will go on to hatch. Yet for birds such as the red knot this is a feast and they will often double their weight during this stopover on their way to their arctic breeding grounds. You can almost imagine them mulling over the excitement later on in the year. “Did you go to Crabspawn 2016?” “Yeah, man. It was awesome.” But we don't anthropomorphize on this site...
So by laying so many, the crabs assure that at least some of the eggs will go on to hatch. Yet for birds such as the red knot this is a feast and they will often double their weight during this stopover on their way to their arctic breeding grounds. You can almost imagine them mulling over the excitement later on in the year. “Did you go to Crabspawn 2016?” “Yeah, man. It was awesome.” But we don't anthropomorphize on this site...Give a Gift
If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a gift to help Ark In Space to continue to bring you fascinating features, photographs and videos.
Thank you!