horseshoe crabs

Horseshoe crabs' blood can detect bacteria and it is under threat in South Florida by habitat loss, red tide, and pollution so scientists are asking beachgoers to help.

The Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch Program says reporting horseshoe crab sightings provides valuable information about habitat use, population distribution, and environmental conditions for nesting.

Horseshoe crabs have been around for a long time. Hundreds of millions of years. But their population has never been assessed in Florida. And the state is looking for help from citizen scientists to gather data.