Background Information

      Only about 10 out of thousands of horseshoe crabs survive to adulthood per year. One of the causes of this is because their habitat is not ideal or safe for maturing eggs. Predators eat the eggs and the baby horseshoe crabs. Because of this, the number of horseshoe crabs is declining. Horseshoe crabs are used for medicine and are known to help treat certain cancers.

The decreasing numbers of horseshoe crabs affect even humans. Scientists use their blood to help fight certain cancers. Their blood contains a compound known as LAL, or Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, which immediately clots around viruses and fungi.

Building a habitat for baby horseshoe crabs would increase numbers of adult horseshoe crabs. Numbers have dropped and horseshoe crabs are becoming an endangered species. Simulating an environment for them to be raised in would keep them safe, but would also be a familiar environment for them.

 

The stakeholders in this situation would be the horseshoe crabs, the birds that eat them, medical researchers, and other variables that would be affected by the decline of horseshoe crabs. Shore birds, like Red Knots, eat horseshoe crabs and their eggs. They depend on them. Medical researchers extract their blue blood for the components in it that treat certain cancers. The declining numbers of horseshoe crabs affect the food chain and humans.

 

The mood of our rearing habitat should be scientific. The habitat will be placed in a laboratory setting for future MAST seniors to use.