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Giant Creepy Crawlies of the Deep
Arrive in
Four of these creatures are the star of what is sure to be the biggest draw on
They bear a striking resemblance to their terrestrial cousin the wood louse…but they are up to a foot long (37 cms) and can weigh as much as three pounds (1.7 kg).
They are giant isopods Bathynonomous giganteus, the largest of around 10 species of isopods that live in almost total darkness in the icy depths of the
“They live on the seabed at depths of between 550 feet to over 2,000 feet,” said Display Supervisor Carey Duckhouse, one of those taking care of the isopods at Blackpool Sea Life centre.
“There are lots of them down there, but because of the depths they live at they rarely turn up in fishing nets.
“They are scavengers which feed on the carcases of dead fish and other sea creatures, doing an important clean-up job.”
Caught in special traps similar to lobster-pots, the creatures had to be flown over from the
“Each was individually wrapped in wet hessian, then wet newspaper, and then encased in ice for the journey,” said Carey.
“They live in temperatures as low as four degrees centigrade, so they’ve arrived at the perfect time of year,” she added.
The new arrivals star alongside other deep sea denizens like the Japanese Spider crab and Dragon Moray Eel in the new Scary Monsters exhibition.