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September 23, 2020: Giant Isopod

A giant deep-sea isopod, Bathynomus giganteus, with an antipatharian whip coral, Stichopathes sp., in the foreground, seen during the Gulf of Mexico 2017 expedition. While the isopod imaged here was spotted during exploration of a site dubbed “Okeanos Ridge,” the team saw several of these throughout the expedition and even managed to catch footage of one swimming.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2017. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).

A giant deep-sea isopod, Bathynomus giganteus, with an antipatharian whip coral, Stichopathes sp., in the foreground, seen during the Gulf of Mexico 2017 expedition. While the isopod imaged here was spotted during exploration of a site dubbed “Okeanos Ridge,” the team saw several of these throughout the expedition and even managed to catch footage of one swimming.

From: Gulf of Mexico 2017: Highlight Images.