Scientists Discover Giant Isopods In Photos Of A Rare Goblin Shark

In April, shrimp fisherman Carl Moore accidentally caught an incredibly rare goblin shark off the Florida Keys. Moore snapped photos of the 18-foot-long creature before releasing it back into the water.

Those images, shared by NOAA, immediately captured the attention of the media and scientists as they showed only the second goblin shark ever to be spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, and the first to be captured since 2000.

The underside of a species of giant isopod captured in the Gulf of Mexico in October 2002.

But researchers studying the photos noticed something else that’s exciting. Among the shrimp and other fish dumped on the boat deck are dozens of giant deep-sea isopods — huge insect-like creatures closely related to shrimps and crabs.

Andrew Thaler, a deep-sea ecologist who runs the popular marine-science website Southern Fried Science, told CNN he’s never seen “that many [giant isopods] in one place at the same time before.”

“Imagine a pill bug the size of a house cat,” Thaler said.

The giant isopod can grow up to lengths of more than 16 inches. They survive by scavenging for food on the ocean floor, including the decomposing bodies of dead whales, fish, and squid, according to the website Sea and Sky.

That’s probably why the cluster of giant isopods and the goblin shark were scooped up together — a very bizarre occurrence.

Thaler believes that both the isopods and the shark were feeding on the carcass of a whale decaying at the bottom of the ocean.

Giant isopods are “usually spread pretty thin and only occur in abundance around a food source,” Thaler told The Houston Chronicle. The fishing trawl, he theorizes, passed over the spot of the dead whale.

Comments

10 reasons why you should always go for the girl who drinks Whiskey

Though Whiskey is generally consider a man’s drink, woman who take it are seen as special. Elite Daily writes of 10 reasons why you should always go for a girl who drinks whiskey. She’s a little bit badass : Whiskey drinkers are typically generalized as “badass” and it couldn’t have came to fruition without some level of truth to it. But just because she doesn’t drive a motorcycle or play bass guitar doesn’t mean she can’t have a little wild streak you don’t know about. And, judging by the bourbon on the rocks she’s clutching, she probably does. She’s emotional: She’s very in touch with her emotions – thanks in part to whiskey – especially after she has one too many whiskey shooters and lets you know how she really feels. Whiskey drinkers appear apathetic to the majority of mankind — but after you get to know people who love a good tumbler of whiskey and you share a few drinks with them, you’ll realize just how passionate they are. She isn’t afraid ...

Building Collapse: TB Joshua Compensates Families With N750,000 Each

The General Overseer of the Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B Joshua has stated through the church spokesperson, Kirsten Nematandani, that the church will be compensating the families of the victims who lost their lives during the collapse of the Church’s guest house on Friday, September 12, 2014 with the sum of 50,000rands (N750, 000) to each family. According to Kirsten, “The church has pleaded with the Nigerian government to expedite the repatriation process in order for families to bury the deceased with dignity and receive closure. “We have done a full audit of each family’s financial needs and assisted with various household expenses, as many of the deceased were breadwinners.” “The SCOAN church is donating a sum of 50,000 rand to each victim’s family for various expenses”, he said. Recalled that large cross section of those who lost their lives in the incident were South Africans.

Iyanya reacts to MTV Top 20 best Naija songs list

Where's Kukere? I think Kukure is one of the best songs produced in Nigeria in the last 10 years and should have been on this list...

ConnectGH

Search This Blog