Technicolor Horseshoe Crabs

Timelessness, loyalty to tradition, and an immunity to infection. These paintings are a tribute to the Horseshoe Crab.

The Horseshoe Crab is often called a "living fossil." It's a marine arthropod that has existed in its current form for at least 445 million years. That is a massive number. Modern humans have only been around for 200,000 years, and the dinosaurs have been extinct for 65 million! The vastness and sheer amount of time through which Horseshoe Crabs have inhabited the earth is nearly impossible for humans to wrap our minds around. Consider the number of major climate disasters, sea level changes, and extinctions they must have survived through. There must be an immeasurable perseverance innate to the Horseshoe Crab, deep somewhere in its DNA.

I wanted to understand these creatures further so I volunteered for the Horseshoe Crab Survey: a yearly recording of the spawning population in Delaware Bay. In June 2022, a super moon rose over the bay and at high tide, around 10PM, thousands of Horseshoe Crabs coated the shoreline of the Kitts Hummock beach. It was one of the most spectacular sights of my life. I was witness to only one night of a spawning ritual that has been repeated for at least 445 million years. During the months of May and June, at high tide, with the new and full moons, female horseshoe crabs burrow into the sand along the coast line to lay their eggs. Following them are hordes of male horseshoe crabs, who pile on top of each other as they scurry along the coast line in search of one of these females. Hoping for the opportunity to fertilize her eggs, continuing their species for another millennium.

That night I had the opportunity to photograph these masses of Horseshoe Crabs, piled on top of each other. I was riveted by the mandala-like patterns the males would form during these ancient ceremonious mating rituals. My paintings aim to capture these moments.

Along with their fascinating history Horseshoe Crabs are vital to we humans. They are essential in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals such as the Covid-19 vaccine. Horseshoe Crab blood is milky blue and contains a protein called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate. If any infectious agent makes contact with the blood, it immediately clots. All pharmaceutical manufacturing uses Horseshoe Crab blood as no other substance can match its ability to identify contaminants, thus keeping medical materials and supplies free from bacteria, fungi, and more.

However this special blood, which has no doubt contributed to Horseshoe Crabs remarkable longevity, may potentially lead to their decline. The rapid production of the Covid-19 vaccine necessitated a massive increase in the capture and bleeding of these amazing creatures. 440 million years ago the Ordovician-Silurian Extinction almost killed all sea life, today it is human-driven extinction that threatens this ancient animal.

The Horseshoe Crab is a marvelous creature. To do my part, and keep Horseshoe Crabs around to survive many more gargantuan world events, 25% of proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to the Horseshoe Crab Conservation Fund.