Giant Isopod: Bathynomus giganteus

Mako Shark II

Fish are Friends not Food
Sea Creature Surfaces, Chaos Ensues
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Think sharks are scary? They're downright cuddly compared to the Bathynomus giganteus, a very terrifying (and very real) sea creature that recently surfaced from the deep.

Link:
Creep Me Out!!

(Warning: May give you nightmares.)

So, what the heck is it? According to an article from Fox News, the Bathynomus giganteus (henceforth known as "Bart") is a type of giant isopod, "a large crustacean that dwells in deep Atlantic and Pacific waters." It passes the time by feeding on "dead whales, fish, and squid."

Ol' Bart attached itself to a submarine that was exploring the ocean floor. When the sub surfaced, people got an unexpected look at the slithery stowaway. The creature is a pinkish in color, two and a half feet long, and wouldn't be out of place in an Ed Wood movie (no offense, Bart).

The story was originally posted on Reddit by a guy who works for the submarine company. It quickly went viral from there. Once news of the creature's existence hit, Web searches immediately soared. Online lookups for "sea creature found," "giant isopod," and (our personal favorite) "terrifying sea creature" all roared.

It's worth noting that the existence of the Bathynomus giganteus isn't, in and of itself, a surprise. Scientists have long been aware of them. The shock came from seeing one up close in all its cockroach-like glory. Can't. Look. Away.
 
Weirdest thing happened to me- I had a small isopod that was hitchhiking on a zoa frag that came from a LFS there in Memphis.

Luckily I saw it swimming around in the bag he fell victim to my CoralRx dip.......lol.

Sucker was SUPER fast while alive though- ihavetats29 is right just like a cockroach in water. I bet the isopod could swim down any tang or anthias quite easily.
 
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