![\"12-23-1](\"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2000\/12\/12-23-1-480.jpg\" "\\"12-23-1")
<\/a><\/p>\nLive, Exposed Horseshoe Crab in Sub-Freezing Temperature<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Last season began an important research program on the Cape to formally study our native horseshoe crab population.\u00c2\u00a0 In the face of substantial harvesting of these critters for biomedical purposes, as well as for conch and other fishing bait, we felt obliged to nail down some concrete data to underpin any future policy changes.\u00c2\u00a0 As part of this project, nearly a thousand adults were tagged to study migration and behavior and physiology, and to obtain a rough population estimate through capture-mark-recapture efforts over a number of years.<\/p>\n As I patrol wrack-strewn beaches and marshes in the study area, I routinely examine molted shells and horseshoe crab remains, which wash ashore with the tides, to see if they are marked or not.\u00c2\u00a0 So, this afternoon at dead low tide as I walked the shoreline and spotted a horseshoe crab shell, I stopped to check it.\u00c2\u00a0 I realized at once that this one was quiet alive and had dug itself into the beach sand about two feet from the receding tide line.\u00c2\u00a0 I flipped the crab over to determine gender and its reactions were anything but sluggish.\u00c2\u00a0 It seemed to move as normally as in the summer.\u00c2\u00a0 I saw that he had the telltale \u00e2\u20ac\u0153boxing glove\u00e2\u20ac\u009d clasper at right front, but the end of the left \u00e2\u20ac\u0153boxing glove\u00e2\u20ac\u009d appendage was missing.\u00c2\u00a0 On his back, the tail immediately went into action to right himself.\u00c2\u00a0 I saved him the trouble and returned him to his repose, reburying his shell with moist beach sand.<\/p>\n