Super-Giant Amphipod Crustaceans Found in Deep Sea by Andrea Mustane Scientists on an expedition to sample a deep-sea trench got a surprise when their traps brought back seven giant crustaceans glimpsed only a handful of times in human history. The “supergiant” amphipods are more than 20 times larger than their typical crustacean relatives, which are generally less than a half-inch (1 centimeter) long, and thrive in lakes and oceans around the world. They are sometimes called the “insects of the sea.” “We pulled up the trap, and lying among the fish were these absolutely massive amphipods, and there was no inkling whatsoever that these things should be there,” said Alan Jamieson, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and leader of the expedition that turned up the fantastical creatures in November 2011. The largest of the seven specimens was about 11 inches (28 cm) long. “They actually don’t feel real,” Jamieson told OurAmazingPlanet. “They feel like plastic toys. They have a waxy texture to them.” The pale, leggy creatures were found 4 miles (6 kilometers) down in the Kermadec Trench, off the northeast coast of New Zealand, one of the deepest trenches on Earth… (read more: OurAmazingPlanet)     (images: © Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, UK)
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reblogged from rhamphotheca
originally posted by rhamphotheca

  1. 0kane reblogged this from rhamphotheca
  2. carathebug reblogged this from rhamphotheca and added:
    even FEEL REAL. Ya’ll I think...ocean is trolling us.
  3. flauna reblogged this from rhamphotheca and added:
    as big as my hand how is that super giant
  4. aimlessdisclosure reblogged this from rhamphotheca
  5. charlestonvillain reblogged this from ohhicas and added:
    i want to eat it.
  6. ihavenoideaatall reblogged this from rhamphotheca
  7. dragondoeatpotato reblogged this from rhamphotheca
  8. thefuzzis reblogged this from ohhicas and added:
    I’ve eaten shrimp the size of the two smaller ones, so I’m not finding this too impressive. They are…oddly cute, though.
  9. nitlon reblogged this from ohhicas and added:
    OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD SCREECHES tangentially relevant, once the lab got a big shipment of antarctic...
  10. ohhicas reblogged this from zeke-dunbar and added:
    I’m just imagining all those little wiggly parts just flailing “What are you doing put me down what what what are you...
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  22. zully0203 reblogged this from rhamphotheca and added:
    Super-Gigante Crustáceos anfípodos encontrados en aguas profundas por...Los científicos en...
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Source: rhamphotheca