Dive 11: Winner, Winner, Fish Head Dinner
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. Download larger version (mp4, 74.3 MB).

This giant isopod (Bathynomous giganteus) was seen snacking on a fish head during Dive 11 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. These deep-sea scavengers are close relatives of the pill bugs, rolly pollies, and sowbugs found in houses and gardens, but Bathynomus giganteus is much, much larger, growing up to a foot and a half in length. Although giant isopods have been known to exist for more than a century, we still don't know all that much about their biology or behavior, making capturing videos like this one incredibly important (and also really cool).

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