isopod
laelaps | April 10, 2010
For deep sea scavengers, a dead tuna is an exquisite feast. For more on what happens to bodies which come to rest on the seafloor, see my post on bone-eating worms and this video of a whale fall.
zooillogix | June 26, 2007But I just want to cuddle! Bathynomus giganteus
In what might be described as the world's most destructive termite problem, Hotboro Island is actually being eaten away by isopods only about an inch long. Isopods are not in fact insects, but primitive crustaceans ranging in size from the size of a pin to the size of a bowling ball. Inhabitants of neighboring Higohihiroshima had been noting the steady erosion of the island for years. After each tsunami, parts of the island would break off and disappear. When scientists finally examined the remnants of the island last year, they found isopods…
zooillogix | May 21, 2007The Antarctic Benthic Deep-Sea Biodiversity Project (ANDEEP) has been working on an unprecedented project to document marine life near the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean. 80% of the isopods identified are entirely new species. Another species, foraminifera, single celled organisms with decorative shells, have also been identified in the waters beneath the North Pole. It is astonishing that these tiny creatures could find their way to the opposite sides of the earth, traveling through dramatically different environments along the way. "What was once thought to be a featureless abyss, is in fact…