UMT | Portal Rasmi Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Horseshoe crabs are important to humans

Horseshoe crabs are important to humans

Thursday, 19/05/2022

Share This Article :

Horseshoe crabs are prehistoric animals that have existed since millions of years ago. They may look ferocious, but these species have been used in modern medicine to help humans.

These invertebrates are often seen in pairs, with the female being bigger than the male.

There are four types of horseshoe crabs in the world, but only three can be found in Malaysian waters. They are mangrove horseshoe crabs (Carsinoscorpius rotundicauda), beach/sea horseshoe crabs (Tachypleus gigas), and Borneo horseshoe crabs (Tachypleus tridentatus). The species not found in the country’s waters is Limulus poliphemus, which exist in North America.

These hard-to-find animals are constantly sought after by exotic-food lovers. These species do not have edible parts like crabs, but people eat their eggs.

The high demand for horseshoe crabs in the international markets has led to these species being hunted, which in turn has caused their numbers to decrease. Among the countries with such high demand are Thailand and other Asian countries.

Horseshoe crabs will mate during a full moon, and the species will take more than ten years to become mature and lay eggs. Because of the long process, a systematic conservation approach is needed to maintain their population in the country.

A popular myth concerning horseshoe crabs is that their blood is blue. This has been rebutted by a horseshoe crab expert.

According to Prof. Dr Noraznawati Ismail, marine and microbiology expert at UMT’s Institute of Marine Biotechnology, horseshoe crabs’ blood is not blue.

“Actually their blood is colourless. The blood will turn blue when the cuprum in their blood reacts when there is oxidization. This myth needs to be corrected.”

She said that the blood is used on a wide scale in medicine as an endotoxin detector with the final product known as LAL/TAL Kit (Rapid Endotoxin Detection Kit). It is used to detect endotoxin contamination in drugs used in injection substances and implants.  

To help maintain the horseshoe crabs’ population, Prof. Noraznawati and her research team have been taking several initiatives.

“We conduct knowledge transfer programmes so that the community can be involved in the conservation efforts. We have also built a horseshoe crab hatchery in Kemaman, and the supply of the animals has come from the fishermen.

“In addition, the hatchery will be open for visits by tourists so that they can learn more about horseshoe crabs.

“We also give away tokens to individuals who provide information about horseshoe crab releases. This is an incentive to the public to encourage them to help conserve the species that are beneficial to all of us,” she said.

 

Published by:
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU