Giant isopod
Giant isopod
Invertebrate
A deep-sea relative of the woodlouse grown remarkably large, scavenging dead animals that sink from above and able to go years between meals.
A huge deep-sea crustacean that looks like an enormous woodlouse.
💡 Fun Facts
- It is an example of 'deep-sea gigantism', where deep-sea creatures grow much larger than their shallow-water relatives.
- They are primarily scavengers that eat dead whales, fish, and squid that sink to the ocean floor.
- They can survive for years without eating anything at all between large meals.
Name Story
Bathynomus giganteus
means “the giant deep-dweller”
What does its name mean?
- Bathynomus — deep-dweller, one that ranges the depthsGreek (bathys, 'deep' + -nomos, 'dweller')
- giganteus — giganticLatinDecode this word →
- isopod — equal-footed — all its legs look much the sameGreek (isos, 'equal' + pous, 'foot')
A giant cousin of the woodlouse, this creature crawls across the cold, dark ocean floor far below the waves on rows of near-matching legs — and can grow as long as your arm.