In 2019, a video captured a deep-sea creature as it feasted on a fish head. The incident was recorded on cam while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's research dived off the coast.
The video was featured in the "31 Dives of Halloween" web series of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, highlighting a host of fascinating deep-sea creatures in the "run-up popularity," Newsweek reported.
Giant, horrid deep-sea louse-like creature filmed feasting on fish head https://t.co/3ungz6YoYV
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 22, 2022
The creature seen in the clip is a giant isopod of the Bathynomus giganteus species, a deep-sea scavenger close relative of the pillbugs and sowbugs typically found in gardens and homes.
Isopods, in particular, are a type of crustacean that lives in the ocean and terrestrial environments, on which there are roughly 10,000 species worldwide.
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Giant Isopods
Giant isopods, belonging to the group of species known as genus Bathynomus, are the most massive of all isopods. They can grow much larger compared to their terrestrial relatives that can reach lengths of up to roughly one-foot-and-a-half long.
According to Stephanie Farrington, the biology science lead for the expedition during which the footage of the gigantic isopod was collected, who's currently working with NOAA Fisheries, giant isopods are an example of "deep-sea gigantism," which is where deep-sea animals are growing extremely large.
It is believed that this phenomenon increases efficacy; therefore, food scarcity in the deep ocean may have resulted in the evolution of gigantism.
Colder water is associated with larger body sizes as well. Usually, the temperature of the bottom of the ocean is close to freezing, Farrington explained, who specializes in deep-sea biology.
The NOAA Video
The featured video was captured around 40 miles southeast of Key West, Florida, nearly 4,000 feet deep, a report from The Standeford Journal described. It showcases a gigantic isopod, estimated to be approximately eight inches long, snacking on a fish morsel.
Although giant isopods were first found in 1879, there remains much about their biology and behavior researchers do not completely understand, given that they have yet to investigate them extensively. This is the reason videos like this are very important to scientists.
Describing the deep-sea creature, Farrington said since they're living at such great depths, they are quite difficult to study. Until today's history, the only way for scientists to access them was through trawls.
The advent of modern ocean exploration and deep submergence vehicles enables researchers to observe giant isopods in the natural environment. This in situ observation made it possible to observe, more often, their behavior.
Discovery of the New Species
While many scientists have a basic insight into their diets, breeding habits, and distribution, they are still learning new things about this group of animals. A new species was described only this year from the Gulf of Mexico, Live Science reported.
Like all crustaceans, giant isopods have a hard exterior called an exoskeleton. These otherworldly creatures' bodies are divided into three segments which include the head or cephalon, thorax or pereon, and abdomen or pleon, Ferrington explained.
These creatures have 14 joint legs, a flannel tail called uropod, and two sets of antennae, one long pair and one short.
They also have a set of strange appendages on their abdomen known as pleopods that are part of their respiratory system.
A report about the giant isopod feasting on a fish head is shown on On Demand News's YouTube video below:
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