"The Enigmatic Beauty of Wet Horseshoe Crab Shells Revealed Up Close"

Horseshoe crabs, ancient creatures that appear fossilized, are being bled for their milky blue blood, which is used to detect toxins in medicine. Half a million horseshoe crabs are caught and drained of a third of their blood each year. The crabs are yanked from the water, transported to bleeding facilities, and injected with a needle to extract their blood. The eggs of these prehistoric creatures, laid during spawning events, hold small green creatures that seem to delight in somersaulting against their eggshells. Horseshoe crabs play a crucial role in medical testing, protecting millions of people who receive flu shots, childhood immunizations, heart stents, or hip replacements.