Recently, a sub-sea research company encountered a stowaway.  A creepy, many-legged, horrifying stowaway.  On board their remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, was the little fellow you see above, a giant isopod known as the Bathynomus giganteus.  The 2.5-foot-long critter is believed to have attached himself to the sub at about 8,500 feet.  It’s basically a deep-sea version of your standard pillbug or woodlouse, just… significantly larger and much creepier.

So what causes these underwater bugs to grow so large?  It’s a condition called bathymetric gigantism.  Basically, because they live underwater where it’s so cold, cell sizes are larger and creatures live longer.  Thus, you get gigantobugs like Mr. Creepy Crawler up there.  They feed on the carcasses of whales, giant squid, and other large sea creatures.

I’ll never be able to eat lobster again after this.  All I can say is, “KILL IT!  KILL IT WITH FIRE!  OH GOD OH GOD GET IT AWAY!”

Tags: weird animals, weird insects, weird ocean life, giant ocean bugs, Bathynomus giganteus, giant isopod, gross animals, scavengers, creepy giant bugs, ocean monsters, bathymetric gigantism

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