Okay, so some scientists have to deal with icky, squishy, gross things. But the more you know, the less frightening they are...
Here's a "giant isopod" that has been in the news lately.
Giant deep-sea bug surfaces in the Gulf of Mexico
A giant isopod was hauled from the ocean darkness after it attached itself to a remote controlled submarine at around 8,500 feet.
The ocean depths are the last great frontier left to explore on planet Earth. True of any great adventure, danger lurks around every unlit corner Yahoo! Buzz illustrates just how creepy the pitch-black depths can actually be -- check out this thirty-inch long deep-sea isopod that surfaced this week.
MSNBC says this of the scary looking bug, “It may look like a creepy-crawly April Fool's joke - but an expert on deep-sea species says the bizarre giant bug shown in pictures circulating on the Internet is the real deal.
‘I've seen the pictures, and they are real, and they really do get that big,’ said Craig McClain, assistant director of science for the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina.”
Pictures of the bug appeared on Reddit earlier this week when the creature was hauled to the surface after reportedly attaching itself to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) near an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scary as the giant bug appears, scientists have been aware of them for quite some time. The official name of this species is Bathynomus giganteus and they are commonly found in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico – usually around 8,500 feet.
Craig McClain told MSNBC, "It's definitely not an April Fool's joke."
The Bathynomus giganteus may be an imposing giant, but it’s very similar to more commonly encountered isopods like rolypolys or pillbugs.
Bathynomus giganteus live on the sea floor and are important scavengers in the deep-sea environment. They are mostly carnivorous and feed on dead whales, fish, and squid.
On earth, scavengers are such beasts as vultures and buzzards, hyenas, and a variety of bugs. Underwater, scavengers look pretty unpleasant, as you can see. But familiarity breeds comfortableness. The more you work with these creatures - well, not really work with them, but see photos of them or even the real thing - the less gross they will seem.
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