Isopodmania

I got barraged with links to several giant isopod articles. That means two things: 1) you folks think of me (or my blog) when you see something ugly, and that's heart-warming (I think), and 2) there's consensus that the giant isopod has a permanent home here.

The giant isopod is the deep-sea cousin to the wood louse, or roly poly or pillbug, that you'll find in your backyard. This particular specimen is a good two and a half feet long, which is large or its kind, but not out of the ordinary.

Photo source: Ross Gwynn

Yahoo! Editor's have a great gallery on Flickr of various isopod photos they've found on the web. Here's one such, to give you a sense of proportion:

But I didn't just get sent links. Sherry also sent me this post on how to make a plush giant isopod, from Deep Sea News.

But Sherry didn't stop there. Her photoshop-errific friend Lisa Halverson made for us a photo of isopods playing poker. It's destined to become a classic. We just need a large supply of black velvet.

Thanks to co-producers Reed, Sherry, Lisa, Leslie, Terri, Julie, and Judy.