The horseshoe crab, often called the “horseshoe crab”, is an animal that continues to fascinate biologists and nature enthusiasts. With its prehistoric appearance and its astonishing biological properties, it is considered a privileged witness to the evolution of life on Earth. Yet this ancient organism faces unprecedented conservation challenges.
The horseshoe crab: exceptional biology
The blue blood of the horseshoe crab: a treasure for medicine
The most notable characteristic of the horseshoe crab is its sang bleu vifa hue due to the presence of hemocyanin, a copper-based protein that performs a function similar to that of hemoglobin in mammals. In addition to its role in transporting oxygen, this blood has antibacterial properties unmatched.
In medicine, these properties have found major application. Horseshoe crab blood is used to detect the presence of bacterial endotoxins, dangerous substances that can contaminate vaccines and medical equipment. The horseshoe crab amebocyte lysate (LAL)-based test has become an essential tool to ensure the safety of medical products.
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A species that has survived five mass extinctions
Horseshoe crabs are exceptional survivors. During the 450 million years of their existence, they have crossed five mass extinctionscataclysmic events that wiped out much of life on Earth. Among them, the Permian-Triassic extinction, around 250 million years ago, wiped out nearly 96% of marine species. These ancestral crustaceans also survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, which marked the end of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Their exceptional capacity for adaptation and robust biology demonstrate remarkable resistance to extreme environmental changes, but this resilience is now being severely tested by human activity.
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Threats and conservation issues
An exploitation that endangers their survival
The medical use of horseshoe crab blood, although essential, has a heavy impact on populations. Millions of horseshoe crabs are harvested each year to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry and then released, but often in a weakened state. This phenomenon, coupled with overfishing and the destruction of their habitats, has led to a 75% drop in their population in certain regionslike Delaware Bay since the 1980s.
Solutions to protect an irreplaceable species
Aware of the risks, researchers and manufacturers are working to develop synthetic alternatives to replace the use of horseshoe crab blood. These solutions could reduce the pressure placed on these animals. At the same time, initiatives to protect their natural habitats are being implemented, particularly in coastal areas where horseshoe crabs lay their eggs.
Why preserve the horseshoe crab?
The disappearance of horseshoe crabs would be an irremediable loss for biodiversity and for science. Beyond their ecological role as prey for many marine species, they continue to make unique contributions to medical research.
Preserving the horseshoe crab also means preserving a living witness to the history of the Earth, an organism that reminds us of the richness and fragility of life.
