When I was little I spotted this helmet like dinosaur era relic crawling its way across the ferry in Bahai towards the sandy beach nearby.
A Malay man alighted from his motorbike and did not let it go far as he soon picked it up with a big smile across his face.
I asked my cousin what it was and he said that it was a very delicious delicacy but it was rather cruel to eat cos people would only eat its eggs and discard the rest.Much like shark fins where the fins are eaten and the majestic beast thrown back to a watery grave unable to swim after that mutilation.
Have seen it in many seafood restaurants but have never had the heart to try it cos of my brief childhood encounter.
Maybe this is nature's way of putting its brakes on us greedy,never satisfied humans from expediting the extinction of ocean species.
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Do Not Eat Horseshoe Crabs,Say Officials (The Star ) 18.06.2011
Two die of poisoning after consuming creatures known as 'belangkas'
Kota Kinabalu :
Fisheries and health authorities have warned the public against eating horseshoe crabs after two people were suspected to have died of poisoning recently.
A joint statement by state fisheries department director Rayner Stuel Galid and health department deputy director Dr Jamal Muhi said the two fell ill and died after consuming horseshoe crabs caught at Marudu Bay.
It added that 18 people who had consumed the crab were also treated after suffering symptoms of poisoning at the Kota Marudu hospital.
Horseshoe crabs including those found locally such as mangrove horseshoe crabs, can turn poisonous according to the season,especially during breeding months.
The flesh,unlaid green eggs,testis and viscera of the horseshoe crabs know locally as belangkas can contain high levels of a poison called tetradotoxin,studies have shown.
Tetradotoxin is a potent poison that attacks the nerve system when eaten and is similar to the toxins found in puffer fish.
Typical symptoms of this type of poisoning include stomach cramps,nausea,vomiting,headache,dizziness,reduced body temperature,numb lips and general weakness.
In severe cases the affected person might not be able to open his or her mouth fully to speak,suffer sensation of heat in the mouth,throat and stomach,muscle paralysis,increased sallivation,drowsiness and loss of consciousness.
Horseshoe crabs can be found throughout the South-East Asia region.
The creatures would normally linger in shallow waters with soft ,sandy bottoms or mud flats including in coastal mangrove areas.
A Malay man alighted from his motorbike and did not let it go far as he soon picked it up with a big smile across his face.
I asked my cousin what it was and he said that it was a very delicious delicacy but it was rather cruel to eat cos people would only eat its eggs and discard the rest.Much like shark fins where the fins are eaten and the majestic beast thrown back to a watery grave unable to swim after that mutilation.
Have seen it in many seafood restaurants but have never had the heart to try it cos of my brief childhood encounter.
Maybe this is nature's way of putting its brakes on us greedy,never satisfied humans from expediting the extinction of ocean species.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Do Not Eat Horseshoe Crabs,Say Officials (The Star ) 18.06.2011
Two die of poisoning after consuming creatures known as 'belangkas'
Kota Kinabalu :
Fisheries and health authorities have warned the public against eating horseshoe crabs after two people were suspected to have died of poisoning recently.
A joint statement by state fisheries department director Rayner Stuel Galid and health department deputy director Dr Jamal Muhi said the two fell ill and died after consuming horseshoe crabs caught at Marudu Bay.
It added that 18 people who had consumed the crab were also treated after suffering symptoms of poisoning at the Kota Marudu hospital.
Horseshoe crabs including those found locally such as mangrove horseshoe crabs, can turn poisonous according to the season,especially during breeding months.
The flesh,unlaid green eggs,testis and viscera of the horseshoe crabs know locally as belangkas can contain high levels of a poison called tetradotoxin,studies have shown.
Tetradotoxin is a potent poison that attacks the nerve system when eaten and is similar to the toxins found in puffer fish.
Typical symptoms of this type of poisoning include stomach cramps,nausea,vomiting,headache,dizziness,reduced body temperature,numb lips and general weakness.
In severe cases the affected person might not be able to open his or her mouth fully to speak,suffer sensation of heat in the mouth,throat and stomach,muscle paralysis,increased sallivation,drowsiness and loss of consciousness.
Horseshoe crabs can be found throughout the South-East Asia region.
The creatures would normally linger in shallow waters with soft ,sandy bottoms or mud flats including in coastal mangrove areas.
