Until the end of the nineteenth century, the assumption that there was no life in the depths of the seas and oceans was unshakable. However, a living specimen of enormous size, caught in 1879 from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, proved the complete inconsistency of this theory and served to quickly refute it. The individual turned out to be a male; females could not be discovered until 1891. The giant isopod shocked many. There were many versions about what kind of creature this was.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Isopod
Isopods (equals) belong to the order of higher crayfish. In total, they include more than ten and a half species of crustaceans, which are distributed in all types of habitats, including in salt water and in various terrestrial forms. Among them there are groups of crustaceans that are parasites.
This is the oldest group - the earliest remains date back to the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era. The remains of isopods were first found in 1970 - it was an individual adapted to life in water. Already in the Mesozoic, isopods widely inhabited fresh waters and were their formidable predators.
Video: Isopod
At that time, isopods had no serious competitors in the food chain; they themselves were rarely attacked by other predators. They also demonstrate high adaptability to various environmental conditions, which allowed these creatures to survive for millions of years without changing physiologically at all.
Woodlice isopods that were found in amber date back to the Early Cretaceous period. They played an important role in the food chain of this era. Today, isopods have many subspecies, many of which have a controversial status.
Isopods are very different from the typical representatives of the order of higher crayfish, which also includes:
- crabs;
- crayfish;
- shrimps;
- amphipods.
They are distinguished by the ability to walk along the bottom in water, a head with large sensitive antennae, and a segmented back and chest. Almost all representatives of the order of higher crayfish are valued within the fishery.
Differences between males and females
Female isopods have a pouch or marsupium located on the underside that contains 20 to 30 eggs (top right). Males have two specialized organs: white appendages called mosaics (top left), which carry sperm, and the masculinae, which is used to transport sperm.
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Males insert the sperm transfer organ anywhere in the female after she molts because she becomes softer and absorbs it.
Appearance and features
Photo: Giant isopod
Isopods are a large family of higher crayfish, the representatives of which differ from each other in appearance. Their sizes can vary from 0.6 mm to 46 cm (giant deep-sea isopods). The body of isopods is clearly divided into segments, between which there are movable ligaments.
Isopods have 14 limbs, which are also divided into movable chitinous segments. Its legs are distinguished by their density, which is created using thick bone tissue, which allows isopods to move efficiently and quickly on various surfaces - terrestrial or underwater.
Due to their durable chitinous shell, isopods are not able to swim, but only crawl along the bottom. A pair of limbs located near the mouth serves to grasp or hold objects.
Isopods have two sensitive antennae and oral appendages on their heads. Isopods see poorly, some have reduced vision altogether, although the number of eye appendages in different species can reach a thousand.
The color of isopods is different:
- white, pale;
- cream;
- ginger;
- brown;
- dark brown and almost black.
The color depends on the habitat of the isopod and its subspecies; It primarily has a camouflage function. Sometimes on the chitinous plates you can see black and white spots that have a symmetrical arrangement.
The isopod's tail is an elongated horizontal chitinous plate, which often has teeth in the middle. Sometimes such plates can overlap each other, forming a more durable structure. The tail is needed by isopods for rare swimming - this is how it performs the function of balancing. The isopod does not have many internal organs - these are the respiratory apparatus, the heart and the intestines. The heart, like that of other representatives of the order, is displaced back.
Such interesting legs
The giant isopod has seven pairs of relatively small legs. The first pair is transformed into maxillaries; they help to capture and bring food to four pairs of jaws. The jaws are more like cutlery when eating. The crustacean's belly consists of five equal segments. The body structure of isopods is peculiar. The color of the shell of the giant crustacean is quite pale, with a lilac or brown tint.
The giant isopod is not immediately noticeable. Perhaps that is why they did not pay attention to it for a long time.
Where does isopod live?
Photo: Marine isopod
Isopods have mastered all kinds of habitats. Most species, including parasitic ones, live in fresh waters. Isopods also inhabit the salty waters of the oceans, land, deserts, tropics and various types of fields and forests.
For example, the giant isopod species can be found in the following places:
- Atlantic Ocean;
- Pacific Ocean;
- Indian Ocean.
It lives exclusively on the ocean floor in its darkest corners. A giant isopod can be caught in only two ways: by catching dead bodies that have floated to the surface and have already been eaten by scavengers; or set a deep-sea trap with bait that will catch it.
Interesting fact: Giant isopods, caught off the coast of Japan, often live in aquariums as decorative pets.
Woodlice are one of the most common isopod species.
They can be found almost all over the planet, but they prefer damp places, such as:
- sand off the coast of fresh waters;
- rainforests;
- cellars;
- under stones in damp ground;
- under rotting fallen trees, in stumps.
Interesting fact: Woodlice can be found even in the northern corners of Russia in houses and cellars where there is some moisture.
Many species of isopods have not yet been studied; their habitats are either difficult to access or have not yet been precisely determined. The studied species can be encountered by people because they live either in the depths of the seas and oceans, often finding themselves washed up on the coasts, or in forests and fields, sometimes right in houses.
Now you know where the isopod lives. Let's see what he eats.
Grow big, huge
Typically, giant isopods (sea cockroaches, sea lice) range from 19 to 36 centimeters in length, but can become much larger: one specimen raised in 2010 was 76 centimeters in length.
Scientists aren't entirely sure why they become so huge, but they think their enormous size is an adaptation to help them withstand the extreme pressure of the ocean's depths.
What does isopod eat?
Photo: Isopod
Depending on the species, isopods can be omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores. Giant isopods are an important part of the ocean ecosystem, especially its bottom. They are scavengers and themselves serve as food for large predators.
The diet of giant isopods includes:
- sea cucumbers;
- sponges;
- nematodes;
- radiolarians;
- various organisms living in the soil.
An important element of the diet of giant isopods are dead whales and colossal squids, the bodies of which fall to the bottom - isopods and other deep-sea scavengers completely eat whales and other giant creatures.
Fun fact: The 2015 Shark Week episode featured a giant isopod attacking a shark caught in a deep-sea trap. It was a katran, larger than an isopod, but the creature grabbed its head and ate it alive.
Small species of isopods caught in large fishing nets often attack the fish directly in the nets and quickly eat them. They extremely rarely attack live fish, do not pursue prey, but only take advantage of the opportunity if a small fish is nearby.
Giant isopods easily endure hunger, surviving it in a motionless state. They do not know how to control the feeling of fullness, so sometimes they overeat until they are completely unable to move. Terrestrial isopods, such as woodlice, are primarily herbivores. They feed on compost and fresh plants, although some species do not refuse carrion and dead organic parts.
Interesting fact: Woodlice can be both pests, eating important crops, and beneficial creatures that destroy weeds.
There are also parasitic forms of isopods. They cling to other crustaceans and fish, which causes damage to many fisheries.
Captivity
Giant isopods live at great depths, so science knows little about the behavior of crustaceans in their natural habitat. These representatives can be found in oceanariums or large aquariums in some cities. They tolerate captivity well, are active and readily eat food.
However, there is a known case when a representative of crustaceans went without food for five years. He was caught in the Gulf of Mexico and transported to Japan, to the city of Toba. The isopod, which felt good in captivity, suddenly began to refuse food in 2009. All attempts to feed her ended in failure. The giant isopod Vicky died after 5 years, the reason is simple – starvation.
It is known that these creatures in their natural habitat can go without food for a long time and feel great. When the crustacean's hunger strike dragged on for several years, scientists began to put forward one more interesting hypothesis than the other. It was thought that the isopod secretly eats food, so it is difficult to notice when this happens. Another version is even more interesting: the isopod independently grows plankton and feeds on it. But it is almost impossible to do all this in a closed aquarium under the close attention of specialists. Therefore, assumptions both arose and were destroyed.
The version of marine ecologist Taeko Timur is closest to the truth. Since the animal’s state is close to hibernation, its life processes are slowed down. A layer of fat accumulates in his liver, which is consumed over time and is replenished only during the next meal. Therefore, the activity of the isopod does not decrease.
Giant isopods are not caught commercially, only privately. You can still taste them. Daredevils who decide to feast on the meat of these crustaceans, unpleasant at first glance, note the taste similarity with chicken, shrimp and crayfish. These creatures are especially popular in Japan; they even produce plush toys in their honor.
Features of character and lifestyle
Photo: Giant isopod
Aquatic isopods and woodlice are not aggressive in nature. Aquatic isopods, sometimes being active predators, are capable of attacking small prey, but they themselves will never show unnecessary aggression. They prefer to hide in the ground, among rocks, reefs and sunken objects.
Aquatic isopods are solitary, although they are not territorial. They can collide with each other, and if one individual belongs to a different subspecies and is smaller, then the isopods can exhibit cannibalism and attack a member of its own genus. They hunt day and night, showing a minimum of activity in order to avoid being caught by large predators.
Woodlice live in large groups. These creatures are not sexually dimorphic. During the day they hide under stones, among rotting trees, in cellars and other secluded damp places, and at night they come out to feed. This behavior is due to the complete defenselessness of woodlice against predatory insects.
Giant isopods are also constantly in a state of hunting. Unlike other subspecies, these creatures are aggressive and attack everything that comes near them. They can attack creatures significantly larger than themselves, and this is due to their insatiable appetite. Giant isopods are able to actively hunt, moving along the ocean floor, which makes them vulnerable to really large predators.
If you think theoretically!
Of course, now the theory that the bottom of the oceans and seas at depth is devoid of vegetation and absolutely lifeless is more than absurd. After all, it is there, on the bottom of the sea, that the carcasses of large marine animals end up after their natural death. It is impossible to imagine that such a quantity of organic matter will not be of interest to anyone and may remain without proper processing.
Scientists and biologists have diligently tried to prove that the ocean floor is also inhabited. This theory was confirmed by a giant isopod. “Woodlouse” became a real star in 1879, people could not believe that such creatures found their home under an unimaginable thickness of water.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Isopods
Most subspecies of isopods are heterosexual and reproduce through direct contact between a female and a male. But among them there are also hermaphrodites who are able to perform the functions of both sexes.
Different isopods have their own reproductive nuances:
- female woodlice have spermatheca. In May or April they mate with the males, filling them with seed, and when they are full, they burst and the seed falls into the oviducts. After this, the female molts, her structure changes: a brood chamber is formed between the fifth and sixth pair of legs. It is there that she carries fertilized eggs, which develop over several days. She also carries newborn woodlice with her. Sometimes part of the seed remains unused and fertilizes the next batch of eggs, after which the woodlice molts again and takes on its previous appearance;
- giant isopods and most aquatic species breed during the spring and winter months. During the mating period, females form a brood chamber, where fertilized eggs are laid after mating. She carries them with her and also looks after the newly hatched isopods, which also live in this chamber for some time. Baby giant isopods look exactly the same as adults, but do not have a front pair of legs that perform a grasping function;
- Some species of parasitic isopods are hermaphrodites, and they can reproduce either through sexual contact or by fertilizing themselves. The eggs are free floating, and the hatched isopods cling to shrimp or small fish, developing on them.
Land isopods live on average 9 to 12 months, while the lifespan of aquatic isopods is unknown. Giant isopods living in aquariums live up to 60 years.
Change gender, are a parasite that feeds on the tongue
Cymothoa exigua, or sea lice, is a fish parasite. This is the only known organism that can replace an entire host organ, in this case the poor fish's tongue. It primarily affects perch, but has been seen in 7 other species of fish. Known as a protandrous hermaphrodite, which means it starts life as a male and actually changes sex later.
The parasite starts from the gills of fish. Once there, it attaches until the maturation process is complete. As the tongue louse develops, it changes gender from male to female. After the process is completed, it breaks away from the gills and rises to the base of the tongue.
Using its incredibly strong hind legs, the louse anchors itself to the fish's mouth. Pierces her tongue with a powerful bite. After making an incision, it begins to suck blood. The insatiable appetite eventually leads to the depletion of all the blood on the fish's tongue. It atrophies, dies and disappears.
This process leaves behind a fairly large crustacean, securely attached to the (now destroyed) organ. As unpleasant as it may be, the process does not kill the fish. Instead, the fish actually begins to use the parasite as a pseudo-tongue - think of it as an organic prosthesis.
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With such a large organism living in the mouth and taking up so much space, it is hard to believe that the fish can eat at all. Nevertheless, it lives and even thrives (although perhaps not as well as if there was no parasite).
The isopod remains, feeding on fish mucus or pieces that remain in the mouth area. If you think this is bad, wait, because the parasite still needs to reproduce.
Natural enemies of isopods
Photo: Marine isopod
Isopods serve as food for many predators and omnivores. Aquatic isopods are eaten by fish and crustaceans, and are also sometimes attacked by octopuses.
Giant isopods are attacked by:
- large sharks;
- squid;
- other isopods;
- various deep sea fish.
Hunting a giant isopod is dangerous, since this creature is capable of seriously fighting back. Giant isopods fight to the end and never retreat - if they win, they eat the attacker. Isopods are not the most nutritious creatures, although many species (including woodlice) play an important role in the food chain.
Terrestrial isopods can be eaten by:
- birds;
- other insects;
- small rodents;
- crustaceans.
Woodlice have no defense mechanisms other than curling up into a ball, but this rarely helps them in the fight against attackers. Despite the fact that woodlice are eaten by many predators, they maintain a large population because they are very fertile.
In case of danger, isopods curl up into a ball, exposing their durable chitinous shell. This does not stop the ants who love to feast on woodlice: they simply roll the woodlice to the anthill, where a group of ants can safely handle it. Some fish are able to completely swallow an isopod if they cannot bite through it.
Is it dangerous to humans?
Many people think that isopods are dangerous to people. This is wrong. There were no cases when woodlice emerged from the water in independent groups. They also do not attack people.
The creatures are not caught in such quantities as, for example, shrimp, but there are people who managed to feast on them. They note the similarity of taste with chicken, crayfish and shrimp. The valuable qualities are low, so it is not practical to catch isopods in large quantities.
Isopods are completely harmless to humans
Hell's vampire - a monster with big eyes
If there was a competition for the biggest eyes in the underwater kingdom, the winner would be the hellish vampire or Vampyroteuthis infernalis. The average length of its body is 30 cm, and the diameter of its eyes is 2.5 cm, making them the largest in this ratio in the entire animal kingdom. Another amazing feature is the ability to change color: sometimes they are bright red, sometimes ghostly blue. Thanks to this, as well as a red body without scales, the terrible creature received its mystical name.
The hellish vampire is one of the most unusual and creepy animals of the depths. In fact, it is a cephalopod, which has the characteristics of an octopus - characteristic tentacles, and a squid - the shape and structure of the body. In addition to its large eyes, it also holds another record: it is the deepest of all mollusks and lives at a distance of 400 m to 1 km from the surface.
Despite the difficult habitat, the creepy vampire managed to adapt to it perfectly:
- there is copper in his blood, so even a small amount of oxygen in the water is enough for survival;
- body tissues contain a large percentage of ammonia, which makes it possible to bring the density of the body closer to the density of water: this gives buoyancy and mobility;
- the vampire's torso covered with photoreceptors helps disorient enemies;
- if the previous point did not help, a mucous suspension with fluorescent balls is released, blinding the enemy at depth: this is the deep-sea analogue of octopus ink.
Alepisaurus - creepy dragon fin
The creepy alepisaurus has been known to science for a long time: since 1741, when during the exploration of Kamchatka the carcass of one of them washed ashore. These are quite large animals: weight up to 8 kg and length about 2 m.
Now add to this a giant ribbed fin similar to a dragon’s spine, a slender flattened body and a wide, powerful mouth with thin teeth. This is a fast, aggressive and terrible creature, capable of hunting not only horizontally, but also in the vertical direction, which leaves its victims no chance of salvation.
Long-horned sabertooth - small but scary
One of the creepiest deep-sea inhabitants of the ocean is the long-horned sabertooth. The size of the sea animal is modest: only 15 cm, but its appearance makes you shiver. He looks like a real archaic monster: his head takes up almost half of his body, and his mouth with long and thin teeth is terrifying.
This terrible animal can be considered a record holder: the ratio of the length of its teeth to the length of its body is the largest among all fish studied by researchers. The creature lives at a depth of about 5 km, where sunlight does not penetrate, and the number of neighbors is extremely small. Therefore, the animal is accustomed to rush without thinking at any object it sees, so as not to miss a rare opportunity to refresh itself.
Anglerfish - the most terrible ocean creature
A real monster, with its appearance capable of frightening even the most famous brave men, is the monkfish, living at a depth of 1,500-3,000 m. Its appearance is terrifying: a body flattened on the sides, covered with dark brown skin with numerous bumps and growths. The animal's head ends in a huge mouth with two rows of long and thin teeth. However, appearance is not the main thing: this creature is considered a delicacy in European countries, for example, in France.
They are called anglers due to their hunting method. On the back there is a special fin, which in the process of evolution was divided into several separate fishing rods. Each of them is crowned with a special bag with a accumulation of bacteria, which begin to glow to lure victims. Some species of monkfish have glowing teeth, while others have gone even further: they have grown a “fishing rod” in their mouths, which their neighbors in the deep sea catch.
Another unusual feature of anglerfish is their method of reproduction and interaction with the opposite sex. Although this is an inhabitant of the depths, females of unusual animals can reach up to 20 kg in weight and two meters in length. But males are the complete opposite - no more than 5 cm. In the human world, they would be called parasites or gigolos, since upon reaching puberty, these mini-cavaliers cling to the side of the female with their teeth and are attached to her for the rest of their lives. Subsequently, most of the organs of male animals die off, and they become part of the body of their beautiful lady, who, if necessary, performs fertilization.
Bagworm (Saccopharyngiformes)
Probably the strangest inhabitant of the deep sea can be called the bagmouth or, as it is also called, the pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.
In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that the appearance of these creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If it were not for the large mouth, the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.
Bagworms live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. Since there is very little food at such depths, bagmouths have adapted to long breaks in eating, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea brethren, mainly swallowing their prey whole.
Giant squid - a creepy inhabitant of the deep
Surely, many considered the giant squid an invention of writers and filmmakers. However, such a terrible sea animal actually exists, and it has several varieties that live in different oceans. Architeuthis is an inhabitant of the depths, living far from the shore, so it is extremely rare to catch it.
The length of the terrible creature can reach 18 m, and its strength is so impressive that no one wants to meet it: sperm whales are often found with characteristic wounds from squid tentacles. The creatures also live in cold waters. A striking example is the Antarctic giant squid caught near New Zealand. The animal, weighing 450 kg and 17.4 m long, is considered the largest representative of this species of ocean inhabitants ever caught.
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Study of the seasonal abundance of juveniles and adults of B. giganteus
suggests peak reproductive output in spring and winter. This is due to the lack of food in summer. Mature females develop a uterine sac or marsupial sac during sexual activity, formed by overlapping oostegites or brood plates growing from the medial edge of the pereopods. Young isopods emerge from marsupial bodies as miniature adults known as decoys. This is not a larval stage; decoys are fully developed, only the last pair of pereiopods is missing.
Goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at depths of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.
The goblin shark got its name due to its eerie appearance. Mitsekurina has movable jaws that move outward when bitten. The goblin shark was first accidentally caught by fishermen in 1898, and since then 40 more specimens of this fish have been caught.
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