Definition of living fossil: An organism that has remained essentially unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose close relatives are usually extinct. For example :Ginkgo biloba, Syntexis libocedrii.
Did you know that the horseshoe crab has been around for 450 million years, quietly watching dinosaurs go extinct and early fish slowly evolve into land-dwelling creatures? Despite having been around for so long, today it is “listed as vulnerable in America and endangered in Asia”. Sadly, one of the reasons for this is the crab being deeply linked to the safety of human life. How so? Come, let’s find out.
There’s one kind of bacteria that can infect medications, needles, and even certain types of medical devices. And the horseshoe crab helps detect the presence of this bacteria – its bright blue blood clots in the presence of harmful bacterial components called endotoxins. This has helped test the safety of biomedical products for nearly 50 years now. However, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the reasons that the species is endangered. The other suspects are the usuals habitat loss and overharvesting for food. The crabs are also vulnerable during the breeding season. They come to the beach for breeding and during the tide some of them end up on their backs. The unlucky among them that cannot turn back are likely to be exposed to the sun for a long time, which can prove to be fatal.
In fact, over 20 years ago, the Just flip ’em’ campaign came to be, “encouraging members of the public to do their part by gently picking up upturned crabs that are still alive”. While this literally saves the lives of crabs, the larger aim is that such public engagement helps them care more for and seek protection for these creatures.
Did you know?
- Calling them crabs could be a bit of a misnomer because they are more closely related to spiders and scorpions.
- Horseshoe crabs have five pairs of legs that are connected to their mouth. They crush their food, such as worms and clams, between their legs and passing it to their mouths. They also have 10 eyes.
Picture Credit : Google
