In the spring every year for as long as time can remember so begins the journey of the horseshoe crab to the beaches of New England to lay their eggs. With every high tide they come in droves. Some nest right at the tide line and others in three to four feet of water. The small male attaches to the large female with hooks at him back. They travel a long distance with the tide and have to do their job quick and follow the tide out.
They eat mostly small shellfish and they live in deeper waters. They have a pointy tail that helps them flip themselves right side up. They are quiet and harmless but help us more then you think.
Horseshoe crabs are caught commercially some for bait for snails and others for blood. The ones caught for blood are brought to a lab alive and get 25% of their blood drained and then are released. The blood is used to test every batch of prescription drug that goes over the counter. I.V bags in the hospital are tested by it also Doctors use it to tell the difference between spinal and viral meningitis. .
As you can see this small creature that has been around since the dinosaurs helps us a lot. In nature it if fairly quiet and insignificant but in the lab they help us and change medicine a great deal.
There is still much to learn from these creatures and other like them, so we have to take care of what we have for the present time and not regret we did in the future. So next time you take your medicine thank the small antediluvian creature from the deep.