Mahakalpara: Mating of endangered horseshoe crabs has started in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district, a report said Wednesday.
These crabs are found in large numbers in the Gahirmatha sanctuary of Mahakalpara block, Hukitola Island in the Bhitarkanika sanctuary, Madali sea mouth, Launchghola, mangrove forests as well as rivers and creeks flowing in the Mahanadi delta region.
With the change in weather condition in the state, pairs of crabs could be seen mating. These crabs are very alert in nature and do not mind attacking their enemies with their pointed pincers at the slightest provocations.
Reports said that, horseshoe crabs have been living on the planet even before the advent of dinosaurs. A medical analysis in 2019 said horseshoe crabs have been here for more than 30 crore years and survived four mass extinctions for which they have been classified as a living fossil.
Their blood contains copper instead of iron while they use a chemical called hemocyanin to carry oxygen through their blood. Their blood is blue in colour due to the copper present in hemocyanin. Their blood contains amebocytes, which plays a similar role to that of the white blood cells of the vertebrates in defending the organisms against pathogens.
The chemical present in their blood helps in detecting disease in the blood of humans and in preparing medicines for dreaded diseases like cancer. The mating of these crabs usually takes place on new moon night and full moon night when hoards of crabs could be seen moving towards sea beaches.
The Gahirmatha sanctuary is a safe breeding place for these crabs. However, the forest officials seem to be oblivious of their protection as these creatures die in large numbers after coming contact with big trawlers, fishing boats and fishing nets.
Their carcasses could be seen lying on the beaches after being washed ashore. These crabs also travel thousands of miles from Pacific and Indian Oceans to Odisha coast while two of their types are found in the marshy mangrove forest and sand-cast areas on the state’s coast.
Samarendra Mahali, an environmentalist, said awareness programme for protection and conservation of this endangered marine creatures will be taken up soon.
PNN
