Scientists looking for a deep-sea fish had a thrill when they also brought up seven of these giant amphipods, discovered in 1899 but only observed a handful of times since then.
If this creature looks unreal to you, in fact it feels unreal as well, according to the scientist who led the expedition, who said "They actually don't feel real. They feel like plastic toys."
Giant is a relative term, of course: Amphipods are usually about a half-inch long, while the largest of these specimens was eleven inches. Still, for those of us who aren't accustomed to seeing amphipods of any size, it can be hard to appreciate how unusual this is. If you're not impressed enough, the researcher has a comparison that might convince you:
"It’s a bit like finding a foot long cockroach."
Uh, nice... I think.
-Wombat (No Relation)
This article leaves out all the important details of the story. For example, how do they taste grilled, and then slathered with drawn butter, lemon, and coctail sauce?
ReplyDeleteGiant Amphipod Scampi
ReplyDeleteI want to eat it.
ReplyDelete