Mitch prompted me to do a search for this beauty, the giant isopod. When I first saw the photo I thought is was an enormous pill bug (that's rolly-polly to some of us). But, thank goodness, these crab-cousins are only found in the deep, cold waters of the Atlantic and Pacific.
This particular species, bathynomus giganteus, is an example of deep-sea gigantism. That's a phenomenon found among many abyssal invertebrates, which results in them getting huge. I'm just glad they use the terms 'deeps-sea' or 'abyssal,' because there is no reference to 'my backyard.'
Photos courtesy: Knuttz
Dec 20, 2006
Deep-sea Gigantism
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10 comments:
Holy reflective eyes Batman!
He does look a bit superhero-y doesn't he? Or villiany.
Give Uncle Scrotor a hug!!!!
Remind me to never make my way to the bottom of the sea.
It's a Dire Pillbug!
--TwoDragons
Wonder if he tastes good.
LOL...boil him up and served with butter. Maybe he would be a delicacy
Mmmm. Dire pillbug, served with herb butter. Homer would be so proud.
He actually looks like a space invader from that old atari video game
in case you guys didnt know, these things (the normal size ones) are very rare parasites that get inside living things, usually fish, and eat their tongues and become the organism's new tongue and survive off the blood of the creature whose tongue they eat. freakin gross.
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