Kabutogani no Nazo: 2 Oku-nen Mae Kara Katachi o Kaezu Iki Tsudzuketa Wake [The Mystery of the Horseshoe Crab: 200 Million Years of Existence without Changing Shape]

About this book

Language: Japanese

Horseshoe crab have existed unchanged for over 450 million years. Although dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago, horseshoe crabs are tough survivors and still look like they did in their former days. They are said to be "living fossils" like the coelacanths. Although the horseshoe crab appears in textbooks, there are lots of mysteries such as the reason why the strange appearance and shape did not change, and what kind of life it lives. In addition, the blood of a horseshoe crab, which has a blue colour, has become indispensable to humans, as its ingredients are used as a diagnostic agent for toxins. This book introduces various mysteries and wonders related to horseshoe crab. There are about 4,000 crabs in Japan, and the number is decreasing year by year. In Kasaoka City in Okayama Prefecture, which is designated as a natural monument and a horseshoe crab breeding ground, scientists and conservationists have been working on the protection of horseshoe crabs. The book introduces the environment where horseshoe crabs can live, and the activities undertaken to protect the beautiful sea where horseshoe crabs can breed.

Summary in Japanese:
4億年前から細々と生きてきたカブトガニ。恐竜は約6500年前に絶滅してしまいましたが、カブトガニは強い生命力で昔の形のまま現在も生息し、シーラカンス同様「生きる化石」と言われています。教科書にも登場する「カブトガニ」ですが、その奇妙な容姿である理由や形が変化しなかった訳、いったいどんな生活をしているのかなど、謎いっぱいの生き物です。また、青い色をしたカブトガニの血液は、その成分が毒素の検査薬に使われるようになり人間にとって欠かせない生き物にもなってきました。そんな、カブトガニにまつわるいろいろな謎や不思議を紹介します。 日本に生息するカブガニはおよそ4000匹で、年々数が減っている状況です。カブトガニ繁殖地として昭和初期に天然記念物に指定されている岡山県の笠岡市では、早くからカブトガニの保護に努めてきました。カブトガニが生息できる環境とは、カブトガニが繁殖できいる美しい海を守っていく活動などを紹介します。

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