| Giant 14-legged armoured sea creature found in waters 2,500ft deep | |
| By Liam Buckler |
Source: dailystar |
8/10/2022 |
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Credit: Alamy Stock Photo |
A giant 14-legged armoured sea creature has emerged from the site where the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs occurred.
The deep sea woodlouse, which is a new species and 25 times bigger than its cousin, was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.
Measuring more than 10 inches long, the isopad was found living more than 2,500 feet beneath the waves off the Yucatan Peninsula - in an underwater crater created 66 million years ago. |
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The bizarre animal, named Bathonymus yucatanensis, has a distinctive creamy-yellow shell - and is an example of ocean gigantism.
Some creatures that dwell in the deep tend to grow much bigger than their relatives in shallower waters or on land.
Most isopods measure less than 10 mm (0.4 in) in length, however the 20 species in the 'supergiant' Bathynomus genus grow to be more than 30 times larger.
The mysterious and primitive group that inhabits the benthic zone - the ocean's deepest reaches, rarely explored in person. |
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