NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
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Bathynomus giganteus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879
We all know the small, gray woodlice that can be found
in almost every dark cellar, under floorboards and in rotten wood, often under the bark.
under the bark. These animals, which belong to the crustacean family
certainly not among the most beloved animals in the house and garden.
Just imagine walking through your cellar and suddenly coming face to face with a woodlouse.
suddenly come face to face with an isopod the size of a cat or a medium-sized dog.
of a medium-sized dog. Who will be quicker to run away, man or woodlouse?
or isopod?
The scientists must have had a similar experience when they discovered these isopods, which can grow up to
up to 60 cm in size for the first time. The highly reflective and very large eyes of the isopod and the clawed walking legs
legs are reminiscent of an alien from the depths of outer space.
The large and well-armored deep-sea isopod is an omnivore that mainly feeds on carrion.
It is astonishing that this giant of the deep, weighing just under 2 kilograms, with the water temperature just as well as it copes with the extreme pressure
the extreme pressure conditions that prevail between 300 and 2330 meters.
During our research into this cute little creature, we found great differences in terms of the depth, the Encyclopedia of Life gives a depth range of between 29 and 2,000 meters.
gives a depth range between 29 and 2,138 meters, SeaLifeBase, on the other hand, 310 - 2,300 meters.
The giant isopod was found during dive 11 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration.
We all know the small, gray woodlice that can be found
in almost every dark cellar, under floorboards and in rotten wood, often under the bark.
under the bark. These animals, which belong to the crustacean family
certainly not among the most beloved animals in the house and garden.
Just imagine walking through your cellar and suddenly coming face to face with a woodlouse.
suddenly come face to face with an isopod the size of a cat or a medium-sized dog.
of a medium-sized dog. Who will be quicker to run away, man or woodlouse?
or isopod?
The scientists must have had a similar experience when they discovered these isopods, which can grow up to
up to 60 cm in size for the first time. The highly reflective and very large eyes of the isopod and the clawed walking legs
legs are reminiscent of an alien from the depths of outer space.
The large and well-armored deep-sea isopod is an omnivore that mainly feeds on carrion.
It is astonishing that this giant of the deep, weighing just under 2 kilograms, with the water temperature just as well as it copes with the extreme pressure
the extreme pressure conditions that prevail between 300 and 2330 meters.
During our research into this cute little creature, we found great differences in terms of the depth, the Encyclopedia of Life gives a depth range of between 29 and 2,000 meters.
gives a depth range between 29 and 2,138 meters, SeaLifeBase, on the other hand, 310 - 2,300 meters.
The giant isopod was found during dive 11 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration.
