Population Crash: Disappearing Horseshoe Crabs

Horseshoe crab partially out of the water among debris and plants. Caption: On the highest tides, they drag themselves to shore

One of the oldest, most successful arthropods on Earth, horseshoe crabs have existed for over 350 million years. But in recent years their populations, have crashed by 75% from overfishing, resulting in moratoriums on catching them. Few of us know that most human lives depend on the valuable, shockingly blue blood of these "living fossils." Even more surprising, a tiny shore bird, the red knot, is so dependent on them that the crabs' population crash may make these long-distance flyers extinct. This mystery of mutual dependencies emerges from filmmakers and scientists revealing a disturbing ecology story ranging from the Arctic regions to the southern tip of the Americas.

(Source: DCMP)

Metadata

Files 1

  • Population Crash: Disappearing Horseshoe Crabs

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    DCMP Membership
    Author:
    New Dimension Media/Questar
    Length:
    31 minutes