Limulus stranding

[Dave Williams]

In a message dated 25/11/1998 4:03:51 AM, Geoff Read wrote:

>Dave Williams expostulated:
>> What is whimsical about this? Sorry for my naivete. I don't get it.
>
>I'm not sure why the title is expected to convey instantly the flavour of the
>article but there is a  clue there. I understand that horseshoe crabs don't
>'strand' themselves, but purposefully crawl ashore (and back) to mate &
>spawn as a natural event. This article is a  comic spoof, Professor
>Williams, as is evident from first to last  lines, and from its figures and
>photos, one of which spells 'H E L P' in  crab bodies aligned in the sand,
>and has the caption "...Some even theorize that Limulus has a far greater
>intelligence than is generally recognized, and is trying to communicate
>with other life forms, including man. But what is their message? We may
>never know."

In my own defense (I have a good sense of humor), I didn't think it was
supposed to be necessary to read the articles to get the whimsey. And, I
assumed the strandings indicated were, in fact, associated with the group
spawning event. It's just that, in my frequent experience with the autumnal
spawning of Limulus in Delaware Bay (and the concomitant mass feasting of
shorebirds on the eggs which wash up in the surf), many of the individuals do,
in fact, wind up stranded (most return to the bay). The dead and dying
individuals litter the beach at Cape Henlopen for miles. It's not a big
stretch to imagine a legitimate mass stranding of a large group during the
reproductive event.

Just chalk it up to having the wrong paradigm.

Dave Williams
Science Department Chair
Valencia Community College, East Campus
701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail
Orlando, FL 32825
Email (preferred): profdhw at aol.com
Email (institutional): dwilliams at valencia.cc.fl.us
407-299-5000 Ext. 2443
FAX: 407-299-5000; press "1" then enter 2437