Giant Isopod
Bathynomus giganteus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1879)
Range: Western Atlantic Ocean (includes Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico)
Habitat: Ocean Depths up to 2140 Meters
Diet: Detritus, Carrion
Social Grouping: Congregate around food sources
Reproduction: Reproduction believed to peak in spring and summer, when more food is available. Lay 20-30 eggs, believed to be the largest of any marine invertebrate at 10 centimeters in diameter. Females develop pouches in which eggs are stored until the young emerge as miniature adults, 6 centimeters long, having undergone their larval stage in the pouch.
Lifespan: 40-60 Years
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
- Body length up to 50 centimeters (more commonly 19-36), with rumored lengths as long as 75 centimeters. Flattened body is covered with rigid exoskeleton of overlapping segments. First segment is fused to the head as shield. Seven pairs of legs, the first set being the pereopods, used to move food into the jaws
- Large, compound eyes have approximately 4000 facets, with a reflective lens at the back to allow for improved vision in dark conditions. Also have two pairs of antennae
- Pale lilac or pink in color, often appears white when seen in aquariums
- Primarily scavengers, but will prey on slow-moving/immobile animals, such as sea cucumbers and sponges, or attack fish caught in traps
- Capable of going long periods of time without eating, with one captive have been recorded as going 5 years without feeding. When food is found, they can gorge themselves to such an extent that they may have difficulty moving
- When threatened, curl into a ball leaving only their tough exterior exposed. Burrow into sediment for shelter.
- Species has been reported in the Indo-Pacific Ocean before, though this is now believed to have been a misidentification of a different species (there are several species of giant marine isopod around the world)
- No significant commercial demand, but sometimes bycatch in trawls
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