Creatures of the Deep Sea: The Giant Isopod (Bathynomus)
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A video about The Giant
A video about The Giant Isopod (Bathynomus) an adaptable Creature of the deep.
Hello and welcome to Zoom Horizon, today's Creatures of the Deep is The Giant Isopod (Bathynomus). Giant Isopods are the largest member of the Isopod family and one of the largest crustaceans. They prefer muddy or clay substrates at depths of 170 m (560 ft) to 2140 m (7020 ft) in mainly colder waters, with a few species known at shallower depths and warmer temperatures. The almost 20 known species are spread across most of the world's oceans, but exact distribution is still unknown with the possibility of species still to be discovered.
Similar in appearance to their land based relatives, woodlice and the sea and freshwater slaters, but being much larger. They can also curl up using there tough exoskeleton as protection, like pill bugs do. But can also swim with specially modified legs in their abdomen. Their large compound eyes have a reflective layer, analogous to the tapetum lucidum in cats and dogs. This layer reflects the light making their eyes glow and gives them better vision in the dark. They are thought to rely more on their chemo receptors and mechano receptors than eye sight to find food.
Whereas other isopods reach up to 5cm, (2 inc) in length. Giant isopods range in size from the giant species, between 8 and 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) to the supergiants between 17cm and 50 cm (6.7 to 19.7 in). This giant size is an example of deep sea gigantism. Where deep sea species grow much larger than their shallow water counter parts. This trend is poorly understood. It maybe due to adaptations to living at depth at colder temperatures, as species living in shallower warmer waters tend to be smaller. Scarcity of food delaying sexual maturity until later resulting in a larger size or adaptations to greater pressure at depth.
Giant Isopods lay eggs that are stored in a pouch called a marsupium, which develops on the underside of a mature female. It is thought that they reproduce during spring and winter when more food is available. During this time brooding females will seek shelter by burrowing into soft substrate and will remain there conserving energy and protecting the eggs. Twenty or thirty eggs hatch as nearly fully formed minatures of the adult.
Giant Isopods are opportune scavengers feeding on anything from whale carcasses to sea floor organisms like sponges, crabs, shrimp as well as live fish. They are known to attack fish in trawl nets. They can survive long periods of food scarcity as captive specimens are known to stop eating for up to five years without any noticeable ill effects. When they do find a large food source they have been observed to gorge themselves to the point they find it difficult to move. Competition for abundant food, like a whale carcass in the deep ocean, is fierce as it is such a rare occurrence, so every scrap is taken.
Although not on the IUCN Red List as threatened they are under increasing threat from deep sea trawling nets catching brooding females and captured specimens have been found with plastic in them. Unfortunately like many creatures of the deep, very little is known about these species because of the inaccessible nature of their deep water habitat.
Thanks for Watching, and please consider leaving a like and subscribing if you liked this video.
Music is Thin Places by Jesse Gallagher from the Youtube Audio Library.
All footage is from NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Video Portal and is in the public domain.
#deepsea #oceangiants #marinelife
Hello and welcome to Zoom Horizon, today's Creatures of the Deep is The Giant Isopod (Bathynomus). Giant Isopods are the largest member of the Isopod family and one of the largest crustaceans. They prefer muddy or clay substrates at depths of 170 m (560 ft) to 2140 m (7020 ft) in mainly colder waters, with a few species known at shallower depths and warmer temperatures. The almost 20 known species are spread across most of the world's oceans, but exact distribution is still unknown with the possibility of species still to be discovered.
Similar in appearance to their land based relatives, woodlice and the sea and freshwater slaters, but being much larger. They can also curl up using there tough exoskeleton as protection, like pill bugs do. But can also swim with specially modified legs in their abdomen. Their large compound eyes have a reflective layer, analogous to the tapetum lucidum in cats and dogs. This layer reflects the light making their eyes glow and gives them better vision in the dark. They are thought to rely more on their chemo receptors and mechano receptors than eye sight to find food.
Whereas other isopods reach up to 5cm, (2 inc) in length. Giant isopods range in size from the giant species, between 8 and 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) to the supergiants between 17cm and 50 cm (6.7 to 19.7 in). This giant size is an example of deep sea gigantism. Where deep sea species grow much larger than their shallow water counter parts. This trend is poorly understood. It maybe due to adaptations to living at depth at colder temperatures, as species living in shallower warmer waters tend to be smaller. Scarcity of food delaying sexual maturity until later resulting in a larger size or adaptations to greater pressure at depth.
Giant Isopods lay eggs that are stored in a pouch called a marsupium, which develops on the underside of a mature female. It is thought that they reproduce during spring and winter when more food is available. During this time brooding females will seek shelter by burrowing into soft substrate and will remain there conserving energy and protecting the eggs. Twenty or thirty eggs hatch as nearly fully formed minatures of the adult.
Giant Isopods are opportune scavengers feeding on anything from whale carcasses to sea floor organisms like sponges, crabs, shrimp as well as live fish. They are known to attack fish in trawl nets. They can survive long periods of food scarcity as captive specimens are known to stop eating for up to five years without any noticeable ill effects. When they do find a large food source they have been observed to gorge themselves to the point they find it difficult to move. Competition for abundant food, like a whale carcass in the deep ocean, is fierce as it is such a rare occurrence, so every scrap is taken.
Although not on the IUCN Red List as threatened they are under increasing threat from deep sea trawling nets catching brooding females and captured specimens have been found with plastic in them. Unfortunately like many creatures of the deep, very little is known about these species because of the inaccessible nature of their deep water habitat.
Thanks for Watching, and please consider leaving a like and subscribing if you liked this video.
Music is Thin Places by Jesse Gallagher from the Youtube Audio Library.
All footage is from NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, the NOAA Ocean Exploration Video Portal and is in the public domain.
#deepsea #oceangiants #marinelife
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