RE: 5 minute freewrite 2836 prompt horseshoe

What a sight! As a child you saw this: during mating season, the horseshoe crabs would be lined up on the shoreline, one on top of the other. They were so thick you could not walk through them. When they laid their eggs, the shore would be filled with birds that were eating the eggs.

This is something @owasco quite likely already knows, but it's news to me: the crab's blood is used in the medical industry. After scientists harvest some of their blood, the crabs are returned to the ocean, but not all will survive the "bleeding."

Thanks for the photos and all the information!