Rumors of a mysterious new organism have swept the shores of our bay, baffling and exciting locals, scientists, and government officials alike. According to multiple unconfirmed reports, an unknown animal resembling a gigantic 8-foot-long horseshoe crab has taken up residence in the Great South Bay.
This is very unusual because Atlantic horseshoe crabs are only known to grow to a maximum of around 24 inches, including the tail meaning that whatever people are seeing is no ordinary crab. Over the last month, Great South Bay News has received eyewitness accounts from eight community members, all independently claiming to have seen the same creature. These community members come from all walks of life; among the witnesses were fishermen, hikers, lifelong Fire Island residents, and even a park ranger. Most of those who choose to share their stories with us asked to remain anonymous, but not all of them.
“It was the biggest God damn crab I have ever seen in my life,” said Jem Patterson of Bay Shore. She claims to have caught sight of the creature on the evening of March 6 while hiking along the bay between the Fire Island Lighthouse and the Coast Guard Station. “It just kind of peaked out of the surf. I thought maybe it was a sea turtle at first until I saw its sharp tail and spindly legs. I tried to get a picture, but it crawled out into deeper water as I was fumbling with my phone.” Patterson described the animal as “longer than a surfboard and three times as wide” and as “neon yellow” instead of the brown of ordinary horseshoe crabs.
Another eyewitness, who asked to simply be identified as Bobby, was fishing on his boat off the coast of the Fire Island Wilderness when he spotted the creature. “At first, it was just this dark shape off my starboard bow. Then my line hooked its shell and started going out like crazy before the rod went flying out of the holder and got dragged into the water. Never seen anything like it. It was my favorite rod, too.” Bobby, like Patterson, had no evidence to back up his incredible story nor did the other six people who reached out to us about these alleged giant invertebrates.
Neither Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) nor the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) responded to our inquiries about these strange reports in time for their responses to be used in this article. However, we know that at least FINS is aware of this situation because a FINS staff biologist was among those who reached out about the creature.
The ranger insisted on anonymity out of fear of being targeted by the Trump administration for speaking to the media without authorization on a sensitive topic.
“I have led a lot of horseshoe crab events; I know horseshoe crabs. That thing was definitely a horseshoe crab but it was not the species we know.” The anonymous ranger claims to have seen not just one but two of the creatures riding each other and displaying courtship behaviors in the white-water at dusk, one neon yellow and one the more typical brown. “These things are not just passing through; in my opinion, they have come here to breed,” the ranger said.
We also spoke to Dr Henry Coleman, a renowned horseshoe crab expert and professor of marine biology at the University of Point Pleasant, and he agreed with the anonymous rangers’ theories. “What people are likely seeing is a new species of horseshoe crab that was previously unknown to Western science, and from the reports I’ve seen, it does sound like there are multiple individuals engaged in breeding behavior,” Coleman said. “This new species may be appearing in the Great South Bay for the same reasons other animals like sharks, whales, and dolphins are being seen closer to shore. Improved water quality and climate change are altering the distribution of prey species. It really is very exciting.”
Coleman says he will be leading an expedition to our area from his West Virginia lab to capture one of the giant Great South Bay horseshoe crabs to prove their existence and take blood samples. The blue blood of ordinary Atlantic horseshoe crabs has been harvested for decades for biomedical purposes and has been used in the development of countless vaccines. NY Governor Kathy Hochul attracted controversy a few months ago when she vetoed a bill meant to protect these ancient organisms from over-exploitation. The biomedical importance of these organisms was part of the justification for the governor’s decision.
“The blood of ordinary horseshoe crabs has been used for many medical miracles, and I believe the blood of this new giant species may hold the cure to baldness and many other diseases,” Coleman explained.
It remains to be seen whether the giant Great South Bay horseshoe crab (Limulus gigangticus) is a genuine new species, a freak mutation of the well-known Atlantic horseshoe crab, a new Great South Bay and Fire Island cryptid akin to our own Loch Ness Monster, a mass hallucination, or a simple April fools’ prank. If you are in possession of any evidence proving the existence of the giant Great South Bay horseshoe crab or any other local sea monsters, please email it to us.
