The Ministry of Public Health has warned that consuming mangrove horseshoe crabs or their eggs could be life threatening.
According to the ministry, 33 people have suffered food poisoning and three others have died in the last five years after eating mangrove horseshoe crab eggs.
Since February this year, seven people have fallen ill after mistaking mangrove horseshoe crabs for Southeast Asian horseshoe crabs, which are not poisonous. They reportedly experienced numbness in their hands, feet and tongue, as well as heart palpitations, nausea, and dizziness.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong said today that the poisonous mangrove horseshoe crabs are smaller in size than the edible Southeast Asian horseshoe crabs. They also have either orange or dark brown bodies.
Dr. Opas warned that since the toxins found in their eggs cannot be neutralized in high temperatures, they are unsafe for consumption. Mangrove horseshoe crabs themselves are also especially poisonous from February to June, as the plankton they consume is also poisonous.