Climate Unearthed

Here’s an Atlantic Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). Horseshoe crabs are arthropods of the class Merostomata and have existed since before the dinosaurs walked the Earth. Thus, they are considered living fossils. They are popular as bait and their blood is used for its ability to detect gram negative bacteria via a clotting mechanism. The latter does not usually kill the horseshoe crab and has saved countless lives from infection but can reduce its activity and potentially impact reproduction. As someone who enjoys studying Arthropods, I hope we can protect these animals by using alternative bait sources and by manufacturing synthetic versions of their blood components for medical use. It would be such a shame if humans drove horseshoe crabs to extinction. They're such an interesting part of the history of our planet. To have survived the mass extinction events at the end of the Permian and Cretaceous periods relatively unchanged is absolutely incredible. They're so resilient and give us an important window through which to study the distant past. If we eliminate them, it's a true testament to how destructive our species can be.