Family Memories and Horseshoe Crabs

They look like army helmets. Our family beach retreat in Prime Hook Beach, Delaware, is the breeding ground -- one of the few in the world -- for horseshoe crabs.

They don't pinch, bite or bother you. The spear-like tail and rigid shell hurts your feet when you stumble upon the crab in the Delaware Bay surf.

Evolving from the Paleozoic Era -- 540 to 248 million years ago-- these crabs closely resemble the spiders and scorpions species. They roamed the earth with the dinosaurs.

A few years ago I made a collage of my family members in the shape of the beach mascot -- the horseshoe crab.

They have survived many storms throughout the years. They deserve a tribute.