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Weekend activities included drinking the night away, running to support the gay community, counting soccer football goals and watching Superman Returns (who, incidentally, was alleged to be gay, but is not). However, in a change from the usual, some friends of mine ventured out to participate in the worthwhile pastime of counting horseshoe crabs. The Nature Conservancy organizes a census every year to count the horseshoe crabs at the Delaware Bayshores near Cape May in New Jersey (about three and a half hours driving time from NYC).
The horseshoe crab or limulus polyphemus is not really a crab. It’s more
closely related to spiders and scorpions (see a baby horseshoe crab, right, and an adult male, below left). But despite its uglier (if you’re arachnophobic) and sometimes fatal cousins, this arthropod provides a valuable service to the medical community – a substance manufactured from their blood is used to test for bacterial t
oxins. The “crab” has also not evolved much over the last 300 to 400 million years, which makes it an interesting animal. It also looks a bit like the crab version of Robocop if you ask me, which is why you shouldn’t. And if you had to ask me (once again, I highly recommend against this) why they have not had to evolve over the last few hundred million years, I would say it’s because of their Robocop-like protection, which allows them to deflect anything that might harm them. Told you not to ask…
And, oh yeah, they really do have blue blood – their blood has copper compounds making it blue, as opposed to our (assuming you’re a human reading this) blood which has iron compunds. Human blood is red, by the way, for all you non-humans reading this. The Great Ganesha writes for everyone…
7 responses so far ↓
1 Human Reader // Jun 26, 2006 at 5:51 pm
From a human reader who is also one of the friends who participted in this worthwhile pastime:
Wonder what it means to not evolve for 3-400 million years. One of the things that the HScrabs do is lay about 3million eggs at a time, so survival of the species they say is not a problem, in fact they seem to be key in the survival of other creatures (the migratory redknots for instance). The eggs are clearly in excess and their only trick to survival, without evolution.
As a human (and an academic at that) it poses an interesting pause in the premium placed on constant (mental) evolution, and the narrative of development, change and progress that seem to be the mantra of a good life. And then I think of the frustration one feels coming up against the “anti-intellectual masses”, and the “contemptuous looking down upon” the over populated and ever growing populations of “third world nations” and I wonder again. Perhaps nature has better survival techniques up her counter-intuitive sleeves than we are ready to account for.
2 The Great Ganesha // Jun 27, 2006 at 9:57 am
fellow human,
i think mantra is correct, and i would liken it to any other advertising slogan. this country (more than others, i think) puts a large premium on change, but other than aging, technological progress and physical evolution, how much have we changed, really? not much if you look at the larger picture. perhaps i am overly cynical (and i’ve been accused of this before) but human nature is the same as it always was.
and how different are we from the hs crab if you compare their lack of physical evolution to our lack of mental evolution? both species even perpetuate at exponential rates, thus guaranteeing survival.
and, as for,
we give ourselves too much importance in the larger scheme of things. nature will always prevail. with or without us.
the great ganesha haTH spoken… (thanks for the suggestion, by the way
)
3 Human Reader // Jun 27, 2006 at 1:28 pm
I see the need for another blog on the subject! The material evolution (if nothing else) of the human race in some parts of the world at least seems to have caused an alarming level of threat to the fine balance within which nature operates (or so it would seem if we are to believe the your enviormentalist friends). Add to that the essentially self- sabbotaging / destructive nature of the human race and it would seem we have the perfect recipe for inviting apocalypse sooner than it was planning to arrive on its own. I like the idea that nature will *always* prevail, but the human race is making a pretty darned interesting attempt to prevail too. In any case from where we are we can see two distinct models of evolution: one a conscious attempt assume the task of self evolution and the other where evolution (or the lack of it) is thrust upon from yonder.
So do you really think human nature has not changed at all?
In our scheme of time, survival is probably guaranteed, but it will be interesting to see who survives, those devoted to fancy means of survival or those who just are.
4 Rui Rocha // Jun 28, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Hey there Great Ganesha i’m starting a blog for which i’m gathering people from all over the world to write about their own country’s news, society, culture, sports, religion, anything with an own opinion when necessary. The intention is to create debates and eliminate stereotypes. From what i read i suppose your indian it’d be great to have you if you are the kind of person who is usually concerned about society and political aspects. If you think you could join us please e-mail me: ruirocha_@hotmail.com
take care
5 The Great Ganesha // Jun 28, 2006 at 5:24 pm
@rui, thanks for stopping by. yes, i am indian and i sent you an email. let’s discuss it over email. please respond when you get a chance.
@human reader,
it’s funny that you refer to the self-destructive “nature” of humans to destroy nature. and that is what i think it is – it’s in our blood. i believe that humans are, by nature, self-destructive. and they always have been. nothing fundamental has changed much in that regard except that we now walk on two feet, talk to each other coherently (well, some of the time, anyway) and have no need to hunt dinosaur meat for dinner. and the self-destructiveness comes out in more subtle ways such as destroying our environment and getting fatter.
if it were not for exploding populations, would we have ecological problems? i don’t know. but i’m sure we would find another way to destroy ourselves, or our environment….
are we heading towards certain apocalypse? i don’t have the answer to that as i don’t believe in that stuff. but i am certain that we are definitely heading somewhere. where? i have no idea, but you can rest assured that there will be cockroaches and the occasional horsehoe crab…
6 Sukanya M // Jun 29, 2006 at 11:53 am
Great new look. The font size could hv been bigger. Or perhaps its just my tired old eyes
7 The Great Ganesha // Jun 29, 2006 at 3:29 pm
hey sukanya,
you’re not the first to complain about the font size, but alas, wordpress does not give us as much control over the templates as blogger. but in time, all will change. in the meantime, i prefer to think of the font as “minimalist”. a euphemism always makes one feel better…
thanks for stopping by…
gg
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