#isopods — Public Fediverse posts

Mixed media

Swimming #crustacean eats unlikely food source in the deep ocean https://phys.org/news/2024-09-crustacean-food-source-deep-ocean.html

A #DeepSea isopod that consumes #Sargassum sinking from the #ocean’s surface https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.0823

"Using the submersible #Alvin, scientists encountered this isopod swimming 3.7 miles deep... Surprisingly, these #isopods can be seen carrying something more common on the ocean's surface: large pieces of Sargassum #algae. At the surface, Sargassum grows using photosynthesis, forming floating forests"

I can't wait for bug season. Right now, I still have to turn over wood and dig around for them. Today, other than moss, the star at the farm were these pillbugs, wood lice, whatever you call them where you're from. All the thousands of times I've seen them in my life, I don't know if I've ever actually looked one in the eyes until today.

#isopods #wildlife #macrodon #decomposers #recyclers #oregon

I'm featuring an ecosystem rather than an organism this #MarineLifeMonday. Lasting for only a short time but providing a bonanza for #DeepSea life, a #whale fall occurs when a whale dies and sinks to the #ocean floor. The carcass provides rare #nutrients for a range of #scavengers, from microscopic bacteria to huge sharks. The whale fall shown here is an artificial one on display at the #MontereyBayAquarium, where spider #crabs, giant #isopods, and jawless #hagfish occupy a #SpermWhale skeleton.