Horseshoecrabs: 'Living fossils' vital for vaccine safety
The group make their way up the shoreline laying a measuring frame on the sand, counting the individuals inside it to help generate a, and setting right those unfortunate enough to have been flipped onto their backs by the high tide.
"They're not threatening at all. They're just going about their day, trying to make more horseshoe crabs." Recruiting citizen scientists helps engage the public while also scaling up the government's data collection efforts, explains the survey project's environment scientist Taylor Beck."Crabs" are something of a misnomer for the animals, which are in fact more closely related to spiders and scorpions, and are made up of four subspecies: one that inhabits the Eastern and Gulf coasts of North America, and the other three in Southeast Asia.
Males are noticeably smaller than females, whom they swarm in groups of up to 15 when breeding. Males grasp females as they head to shore, where the females deposit golf ball-size clusters of 5,000 eggs for the males to spray their sperm on. Kristi Lieske, Wyatt Mosiman and Matthew Oswald conduct a survey of horseshoe crabs spawning on a beach at the Ted Harvey Wildlife Area near Dover, Delaware.
Estimates place the mortality rate of the process at 15 percent, with survivors released back to sea.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bigger Floods Endanger Millions Living in Extreme PovertyThe vast majority people exposed to both threats live in India and sub-Saharan Africa
Read more »
The Under Armour Leggings Perfect For Workouts and Day-to-Day LivingThe comfiest leggings you'll ever own.
Read more »
Meet the Creative Who Helped Grow Living Plants on Clothes for LoeweThe plants were grown in a polytunnel 20 days ahead of the show, with textile designer Paula Ulargui Escalona on hand to give them all the nutrients they needed.
Read more »
Regina Spektor on Living in the Space Between Pain and HopeOn Regina Spektor's new album 'Home, before and after,' the singer-songwriter ruminates on everything from romance to having a beer with God.
Read more »
Dear Abby | Abusive husband manipulates wife, kids living in shelterDaily News | Dear Abby | Abusive husband manipulates wife, kids living in shelter
Read more »
Filmmaker who gave footage to Jan. 6 committee: Trump is 'dangerous,' living in 'cloud cuckoo land'A British documentary filmmaker who recently testified behind closed doors to the House Jan. 6 select committee said that former president Donald Trump is living in “cloud cuckoo land,” and is incapable of ever acknowledging that his claims about voter fraud are “delusional.”
Read more »