1元硬币大!「鲎宝宝」掌上跳华尔滋 好像《小精灵》

▲哈啰你好,我是一只鲎~(图/翻摄自FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

宠物小组综合报导

小小的鲎(读音:后)在手掌移动着,像是华尔滋的小青蛙模样十分可爱。美国佛州鱼类野生动物保护管理局(FWC)表示,29日是月圆之夜,成年的鲎会随着涨潮岸上交配,希望能募集「交配照」供学术研究之用。

影片中,小小的鲎大约1元硬币大小,在手掌上用尾部控制方向,一下垫高一下降低,宛如在跳舞一般,小巧的外型和电玩游戏里的「小精灵」十分相似,许多网友第一次看到鲎宝宝活动样子,觉得可爱极了。幼年的鲎在潮间带生活长大后就会游向海中,到了繁殖季便会随着涨潮回到海滩交配,繁殖下一代。

▲鲎宝宝和游戏里的小精灵有点相似。(图/葱尛提供)

生物学家推测,鲎会在29日月圆之夜上海滩交配,「希望若是幸运目击,能提供照片给我们,通常会是小只的公鲎在较大的母鲎上面。」鲎又称为马蹄蟹,已经存在世界上4.5亿年,但近来因为栖地破坏,数量逐渐减少,此次的目击资料将作为数量推算的参考。

The next full moon is Sunday, April 29th and FWC biologists are encouraging sighting reports of mating horseshoe crabs. Beachgoers will have the best luck spotting horseshoe crabs mating around high tide, within three days of a full or new moon. To identify mating pairs, look for a smaller male on top of a larger female. Your reports provide important information about population distribution to the FWC. Although horseshoe crabs have existed for about 450 million years, their numbers have declined due to overfishing and loss of habitat. You can report sightings many ways: FWC Reporter app, Email: horseshoe@MyFWC.com or Phone: 866-252-9326 or Online: bit.ly/1Nxgn0b Video courtesy of Emma Dontis