While kayaking in search of dolphins this morning, I tossed my beloved Canon camcorder into the Atlantic. (The F-bomb that followed could be heard in South Africa, a fact I am not proud of.) Since I can’t share the osprey, seagulls, terns and jumping fish we encountered, I’ve dug through my Avalon archives and found another critter to talk about, the horseshoe crab. Since I’m feeling a bit crabby and in need of some fresh, new luck, this seems appropriate.

We found these horseshoe crab shells on the Jersey Shore in early September last year. (Click each photo for a larger image.) Initially, my nephew, nieces and I thought the crabs had died. It wasn’t until an educational boat ride through the salt marsh that we learned these guys and gals were still alive – somewhere. (If only the same could be said for my camcorder.) They had simply molted and left this one-size-too-small armor behind.

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