Horseshoe Crab: More Than a Fossil

Keywords: Horseshoe Crab, Evolution, Fossil, Endotoxins

The Story: Most people know the Horeshoe Crab as "the living fossil" for their mysteriously arrested evolution - fossil records show that they are morphologically unchanged; biologically, they are primitive. These creatures used to keep dinosaurs company, and have survived myriad other prehistorical climate turns and events since then. Besides fawning over their mysteriousness, we rely on them for our health, environmental health, and promise for future medical cures. A "CSI"-like investigation into one Horseshoe Crab's death lead to the discovery of bacterial endotoxins, and the crab's blood as a vehicle to detect them. Now Horseshoe Crab blood is harvested and used to test medical implants and drugs for bacteria. Shore birds devour Horseshoe Crabs eggs, giving the birds valuable energy for their long journy south. The crab's primitive eye structures are being studied in order to help scientists cure blindness. So, what are the keys for surviving as a species for millions of years? Among other things: develop a thick shell, get good at keeping bacteria out of your blood, and see just well enough to detect potential mates.

Additional Reading:
http://www.horseshoecrab.org/
http://wpni01.auroraquanta.com/pv/biohorse?img=1586

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