David Drazul
Ha! I love this question. As a kid, I spent a lot of time camping out at the beach at Smith Point County Park. While my friends and I were obsessing over the hermit crabs that inhabited a small cove that faced Moriches Bay, we'd occasionally spot horseshoe crabs crawling along the bottom. They were strangely sleek and mysterious; they didn't look anything like the other crabs.
Once I got older, I learned that horseshoe crabs have been around for over 450 million years and are closer in relation to spiders and scorpions than crabs. In fact, they may be related to the amazing trilobites, one of history's most prolific species but which ultimately perished in the Permian extinction 250 mya.
The more I read about them, the more I learned how alien these guys are to almost everything around. They fascinate me. They've survived four extinctions and continue to put up with the indignities of being dinner, bait, and involuntary blood donors.
After my family moved away from New York, I didn't see one again until I was an adult with kids of my own. My wife and I like to rent houses near Cape Cod Bay. Its shallow waters are perfect for little kids: small waves and lots of beach to play on at low tide. It's also good for horseshoe crabs.
Seeing them after all those years stirred something within me. As I related what I'd learned to my kids, I felt connected with these stoic creatures. I watched over them until the tide came in, making sure the gulls kept their distance and passersby didn't abuse them. When the tide finally came in and loosened the sand around them, I watched as they dug themselves out and silently crawled back to the depths of the sea.
Whether they're my spirit animal or my paternal instincts were imprinted upon the object of a wonderful childhood memory, I don't know. Either way, when I spotted that picture I knew it had to be my avatar.
Once I got older, I learned that horseshoe crabs have been around for over 450 million years and are closer in relation to spiders and scorpions than crabs. In fact, they may be related to the amazing trilobites, one of history's most prolific species but which ultimately perished in the Permian extinction 250 mya.
The more I read about them, the more I learned how alien these guys are to almost everything around. They fascinate me. They've survived four extinctions and continue to put up with the indignities of being dinner, bait, and involuntary blood donors.
After my family moved away from New York, I didn't see one again until I was an adult with kids of my own. My wife and I like to rent houses near Cape Cod Bay. Its shallow waters are perfect for little kids: small waves and lots of beach to play on at low tide. It's also good for horseshoe crabs.
Seeing them after all those years stirred something within me. As I related what I'd learned to my kids, I felt connected with these stoic creatures. I watched over them until the tide came in, making sure the gulls kept their distance and passersby didn't abuse them. When the tide finally came in and loosened the sand around them, I watched as they dug themselves out and silently crawled back to the depths of the sea.
Whether they're my spirit animal or my paternal instincts were imprinted upon the object of a wonderful childhood memory, I don't know. Either way, when I spotted that picture I knew it had to be my avatar.
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Nov 07, 2014 06:51AM · flag