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Good to know. Next time I see a horseshoe crab I won’t just run at it screaming “Can I see your blood?!”
The crabs react better to it than most Uber drivers though.
Horseshoe crabs are vexing. We capture millions for their blood (useful for testing the purity of phama). There are alternatives, but biologist worry that the animals will suffer more if they become useless to humans.
Keep your eyes peeled
Fun horseshoe crab fact: horseshoe crabs have like five different types of eyes. Even that tail is basically one big eye, covered in photoreceptive cells. Those fuckers are really good at crawling around in the mud.
I failed crab in high school :(
Now’s your chance to find crab success!
Definitely going to put on the resume
Does the crab not also get a certificate of participation? They certainly deserve one
Wow, where do they live?
Judging by the name probably on the hooves of horses
Probably Nantucket, judging by the image credit.
That image caused me to do a double-take! I live on Nantucket island, and am well aware of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, and I’ve NEVER heard of this program nor anyone finding a tagged horseshoe crab.
Does it need to be alive? I only find dead ones.
If it’s tagged I’d still report it
Seeing how valuable their blood is for medicine and research I would expect to check to come with that.
Nice, I understood that reference
… I don’t.
Completely relevant song for your living-fossil, crab-based browsing: Clutch - Slaughter Beach
Background:
You can do a similar thing if you see a bird with a wing tag. You get a little certificate but no little bird pin thing sadly.
