Coney Island Creek natural area

The Coney Island tidal flats and coastal dunes provide diverse maritime habitats for birds, fish, and other wildlife. Hundreds of horseshoe crabs gather in the shallow water each May and June during the full and new moon high tides to lay their eggs. The horseshoe crab has been around since before the dinosaurs, roughly 1.2 billion years, and is referred to as a “living fossil." Female horseshoe crabs arrive on the beaches to lay their eggs, with their male counterparts grasped onto the back of the female’s shell. Two weeks later the eggs are ready to hatch and the water sweeps the newborns into the sea. The thousands of protein-rich eggs provide a feast for hungry migrating birds, which can eat enough to double or even triple their body weight before moving on.