Why Horseshoe Crab Blood Is So Valuable

Credits:
Writer/Narrator/Editor: Stephanie Sammann

Imagery courtesy of Getty Images

References:

[muggywebster]

I love these critters. One of my favorite beings ever. I've gotten to tag them for a few years. I do classes on them from time to time. They are so critical to our ecosystem on the east coast. Their eggs are a primary food source for many shore birds. Amazing creatures. Please try to love them and never pick them up by their tail. If you must hold them, try to hold them like you'd hold a bowl with both hands. They are docile and they don't have teeth to bite you and the tail does not have a poisoned stinger or barb. The tails are mostly used to right themselves if they end up on their backs. Their numbers are in decline and it takes approximately 12 years for a horseshoe crab to get to maturity. We need to protect them whenever we can.

[shiraq]

horseshoe crab: I was kidnapped by aliens and they stole my blood
other crabs: go see a psychiatrist

[sambrandner]

This is why we need to try to avoid losing any species. Nature has some hidden secrets like this! If more species go extinct, we might miss out on some world changing possibilities 😰

[CrystalGregory]

Was anyone else taken aback when they saw how much blood is collected from each horseshoe crab?

[frechjo]

1:43 "They belong to their own class of animals, called Merostomata, _and are not actually crabs_!"
Well, they're not actually horseshoes either, just in case you were wondering.

[furn]

Instead of cleaning I choose to find out why horseshoe crabs have expensive blood

[npc]

Horseshoe crab: im here for 500 million year..

Human: i need your blood

[FindStoicism]

Dang, this hit me on an emotional level. I'm rooting for these little crabs. It would be profoundly sad if we made them extinct, after all they've been through

[nukeboyt]

"One of the most valuable liquids"
Printer Ink: "Hold my beer!"

[lefrman]

Can't fool me, Real Science.

That's a Pokemon.

[amarug]

Wow, I can't believe that I found a new science channel that I had not seen before. And I really could not believe when I saw that you are the writer, narrator, and editor at the same time! I assumed there was a huge team of people behind this. Absolutely incredible work and amazing quality. Keep it up!

[thenerdlobby]

god, that crab blood disassembly lab is the super inverse horror movie i've been having quantum nightmares about in preparation for this day.

[bazoo]

I am an avid watcher of well presented science and technology themed content, on YT and elsewhere. As 60-something old physicist by training, IT consultant by occupation and former IAEA expert, it is only occasionally that I stumble upon some nugget of information genuinely new to me. (For actual news I mostly rely on journals.)
However, this your video, young lady, opened a whole new area to me. Thank you so much!
BTW, your presentation and delivery style evolved so rapidly from that first GMO video that in just few months, if not weeks, it was impossible to tell you were not an experienced, but still enthusiastic, veteran of the field.
Your and Brian's sibling channels are pure gold!

[db-]

Reject humanity, embrace horseshoe crab

[michealoflaherty]

They are magnificent creatures but I have to say they freak me out. So alien looking

[mastergecko]

Horseshoe crabs: Survived 5 global mass extinctions

Humanity: Allow me to introduce myself

[michaelhart]

When I first found one of these creatures on a beach near Charleston SC, it took me a while to figure out whether it was a creature or a just a rock.

[robbyluvadooz]

When I was a kid, the horseshoe crabs would line up on all the local beaches and breed, and it was a criminal offense to harass them or take them. They are very valuable to our ecosystem.

[jurgenadai]

I know why their blood is so important, it keeps them alive.

[margauxmadman]

If I ever become rich, I'll just make an entire sanctuary for them. I dont care too much about their blood, I just want them to survive a bit more longer