In this post, we're going to discuss a creature out of your childhood nightmares. No it's not Zippy the clown, it's something a little less scary, the Giant Isopod. While the name sounds like a giant mutant jelly fish from a science fiction movie, it's actually somewhat close.
The Giant Isopod has been compared to pill bugs and woodlouse. Both of them, not very pleasant to look like.
They definitely are not something you give your kid to cuddle up with at night.
So what could they possibly look like? A flat, hundred-legged beast crawling around in around in glee? If you meant deep underwater, in pitch blackness, you'll be absolutely correct! The Giant Isopod lives so deep underwater, light itself cannot touch it's floor.
What's so special about one of those creep-crawlies living deep in the ocean floor? Doesn't sound so "crazy" for such a creepy creature to live down there. Did I mention it's the size of a human baby? Because I totally felt that I forgot to mention that. These critters can grow up to almost 14 inches, and weighing 3.7 pounds.
"Feed me your childrens!"
These little critters feed off the once majestic whales and fishes that once swam the seas. You could imagine a dead whale, and millions of these simply covering the entire thing, inch by inch. Basically, anything that falls into the ocean floor, is anyone's game. Sounds a lot like thanksgiving dinner right? In fact, it's been known that when a Giant Isopod discovers a large portion of food, it'll try to eat as much as it can, to the point of being unable to move. You never know when you'll encounter food again when you're in the bottom of the sea.
"Close the door dang it!"
The tiny un-intimidating mouth, is used by the Isopod to rip and pierce their prey apart. Some have said that these creatures also hunt small, slow animals in the deep abyss. Would be a shame if someone tied a tinder block to your feet, tied you up, gave you an oxygen tank and mask, and you accidently slipped on the edge of a non-specific boat, finding yourself deep underwater as hundreds of animals attempt to eat you. Would be a darn shame.
Perhaps it lives in the deep far reaches of Africa or other countries that I don't live in! Maybe that will comfort me while I sleep tonight!
"Actually, I live in basically every ocean in the world. Also, I will eat your corpse."
It's been said that the reason for its size is due to the extreme pressure of the deep ocean, which allows it to grown much larger then the other close species. Things generally tend to be a trillion times bigger if they're from the deep reaches of the ocean. But that doesn't mean if you drop your pocket watch ten years ago, it'll become full-sized clock, silly you. But you may have noticed that freak-sized squids and fishes are usually found deeper underwater.
It's safe to say that you won't find Chinese or even Vietnamese restaurants selling any of these over rice. But you'll definitely find in restaurants in Taiwan. Imagine of these delicious critters pried open on your plate, with steam floating off the delicious meat with rice?
Did you know: The Giant Isopod is related to the Shrimp and the Crab ?