Description
Tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) juvenile aged two years, in fifth instar, beside 5 Yen coin for scale. Endangered species due to habitat loss and over-harvesting for food and biochemical industry. Yamaguchi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. September.
Though habitat loss and overharvesting of these animals for food are primary contributors to the population decline of horseshoe crabs, the biomedical industry is also a major factor. Horseshoe crabs are bled for their amoebocytes (akin to white blood cells), which are used to derive an extract that reacts in the presence endotoxin lipopolysaccharide, which is found in the membranes of gram-negative bacteria. Estimates suggest that between three and 30% of the animals die as a result. There have also been suggestions that taking up to a third of each animal's blood adversely affects their ability to undertake vital functions, such as procreation, even if the animals survive.
Synthetic substitute tests have been available since 2003. The biomedical industry has however been reluctant to discontinue the practice of bleeding live animals.
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