Unlike vertebrates, horseshoe crabs do not have hemoglobin in their blood, but instead use hemocyanin to carry oxygen. Because of the copper present in hemocyanin, their blood is blue. Their blood contains amebocytes, which play a role similar to white blood cells for vertebrates in defending the organism against pathogens. Amebocytes from the blood of L. polyphemus are used to make Limulus amebocyte lysate, which is used for the detection of bacterial endotoxins.
Harvesting horseshoe crab blood involves collecting and bleeding the animals, and then releasing them back into the sea. Most of the animals survive the process; mortality is correlated with both the amount of blood extracted from an individual animal, and the stress experienced during handling and transportation.[11] Estimates of mortality rates following blood harvesting vary from 3 to 15%.[12]
horseshoe crabs are fucking AWESOME. they are like one of the oldest organisms around too its just silly how old.
Huge tanks are more stable anyways, which is a good thing really. Again, I'd need to be much better off and much more bored to even go for an aquarium project of that size.
what if I told you that museums use them to clean the flesh off of specimens
the head honcho of the archaeology program I graduated from told me that he would get a colony of flesh-eating beetles if I would come back as a grad student and take care of them
Man that ain't cool, going for a full nelson on a crab. Dudes can't even reach behind themselves to begin with.
Alternatively:
That guy is totally boning that crab. Look at his face.
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
My two favorite arthropods:
Jumping spiders, because we had some living around our door last year, and they're pretty neat:
And lobsters, because I read a book about one when I was in 3rd grade, and they taste delicious:
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Those are both good choices. You have good arthropinions.
Did you know lobsters are thought to be biologically immortal, as in they do not die of old age only of illness/predation/injury. And they also become more fertile as they get older.
Clearly God made them so tasty because otherwise the planet would be overrun with ancient, horny lobsters.
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
edited March 2013
OKay, but before people starting seriously chowing down on Maine lobster, why weren't 50 ft long lobster turning up for Viking warriors to do battle with?
EIDT: Man, I'd play that game.
valhalla130 on
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
Also, when did people decide ocean going "bugs" looked delicious?
[quote="valhalla130;26178666"]Also, when did people decide ocean going "bugs" looked delicious? [/quote]
They didn't! They actually thought they looked nasty and fed them to poor/slaves. So much so that many servents had clauses in their contract stating their employers couldn't feed them lobster more than twice a week. Otherwise, they just used them as compost.
Then around the middle of the 19th centuary, someone decided they could make bank if they just marketed the things, and it worked. Even now though in Maine its less a fancy shmancy rich folk thing and more of a staple. I actually saw it being sold at McDonalds there.
Decomposey on
Before following any advice, opinions, or thoughts I may have expressed in the above post, be warned: I found Keven Costners "Waterworld" to be a very entertaining film.
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
That's it. I'm moving to Maine. I like winters, and we don't have those here in Georgia, so it will be a win/win for me.
Actually from what I'm reading on Wikipedia, its likely local softshell lobster which is the cheapest type of lobster.... and also the most delicious. It simply can't travel anywhere but locally because it dies, so it can't be shipped, so its not worth as much, despite the fact that it is the most delicious.
Fucking lobster fishermen, keeping all the good lobsters.
Before following any advice, opinions, or thoughts I may have expressed in the above post, be warned: I found Keven Costners "Waterworld" to be a very entertaining film.
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
OKay, but before people starting seriously chowing down on Maine lobster, why weren't 50 ft long lobster turning up for Viking warriors to do battle with? EIDT: Man, I'd play that game.
Live long enough in the wild and something will eat you, or you will get injured or sick.
Relatively few wild animals die of old age.
Also I don't know if they eternally get bigger. They probably still have a size where they practically stop growing.
yeah, I don't understand how anyone thinks living longer means that organism just keeps getting bigger
humans are a pretty obvious example of how this isn't true!
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KwoaruConfident SmirkFlawless Golden PecsRegistered Userregular
but human lifespan has increased throughout history and the average height of people has also increased and also people are way fatter now
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Need some stuff designed or printed? I can help with that.
horseshoe crabs are fucking AWESOME. they are like one of the oldest organisms around too its just silly how old.
linked for kind of big
Steam | Twitter
Steam | Twitter
what if I told you that museums use them to clean the flesh off of specimens
the head honcho of the archaeology program I graduated from told me that he would get a colony of flesh-eating beetles if I would come back as a grad student and take care of them
Steam | Twitter
just look at all that delicious leg meat
Man that ain't cool, going for a full nelson on a crab. Dudes can't even reach behind themselves to begin with.
Alternatively:
Jumping spiders, because we had some living around our door last year, and they're pretty neat:
And lobsters, because I read a book about one when I was in 3rd grade, and they taste delicious:
Did you know lobsters are thought to be biologically immortal, as in they do not die of old age only of illness/predation/injury. And they also become more fertile as they get older.
Clearly God made them so tasty because otherwise the planet would be overrun with ancient, horny lobsters.
EIDT: Man, I'd play that game.
They didn't! They actually thought they looked nasty and fed them to poor/slaves. So much so that many servents had clauses in their contract stating their employers couldn't feed them lobster more than twice a week. Otherwise, they just used them as compost.
Then around the middle of the 19th centuary, someone decided they could make bank if they just marketed the things, and it worked. Even now though in Maine its less a fancy shmancy rich folk thing and more of a staple. I actually saw it being sold at McDonalds there.
down here you get moreton bay bug, which looks like this
it is also pretty delicious
Fucking lobster fishermen, keeping all the good lobsters.
Live long enough in the wild and something will eat you, or you will get injured or sick.
Relatively few wild animals die of old age.
Also I don't know if they eternally get bigger. They probably still have a size where they practically stop growing.
humans are a pretty obvious example of how this isn't true!
so people clearly get bigger as they live longer