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Deep-sea Gigantism
In zoology, deep-sea gigantism or abyssal gigantism is the tendency for species of invertebrates and other deep-sea dwelling animals to be larger than their shallower-water relatives across a large taxonomic range. Proposed explanations for this type of gigantism include colder temperature, food scarcity, reduced predation pressure and increased dissolved oxygen concentrations in the deep sea. The inaccessibility of abyssal habitats has hindered the study of this topic. Taxonomic range In marine crustaceans, the trend of increasing size with depth has been observed in mysids, euphausiids, decapods, isopods and amphipods. Non-arthropods in which deep-sea gigantism has been observed are cephalopods, cnidarians, and eels from the order Anguilliformes. Examples of deep-sea gigantism include the big red jellyfish, the giant isopod, giant ostracod, the giant sea spider, the giant amphipod, the Japanese spider crab, the giant oarfish, the deepwater stingray, the seven-arm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Squid Ranheim2
In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 from Robert of Gloucester (historian), Robert of Gloucester's chronicle. It is derived from the ''Giants (Greek mythology), Gigantes'' ( grc-gre, Γίγαντες) of Greek mythology. Fairy tales such as ''Jack the Giant Killer'' have formed the modern perception of giants as dimwitted ogres, sometimes said to eat humans, while other giants tend to eat the livestock. The antagonist in ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' is often described as a giant. In some more recent portrayals, like those of Jonathan Swift and Roald Dahl, some giants are both intelligent and friendly. Literary and cultural analysis Giants appear in the folklore of cultures worldwide as they represent a relatively simple concept. Representing the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bathynomus Giganteus
''Bathynomus giganteus'' is a species of aquatic crustacean, of the order Isopoda. It is a member of the giant isopods (''Bathynomus''), and as such it is related—albeit distantly—to shrimps and crabs. It was the first ''Giant isopod, Bathynomus'' species ever documented, and was described in 1879 by French zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards, Alphonse Milne Edwards after the isopod was found in fishermen's nets off the coast of the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico. The ''Bathynomus'' is benthic and abundant in cold waters with a depth of in the West Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, Caribbean. It was the first species of ''Bathynomus'' to be Species description, described and historically it was reported from other oceans, but these are now recognized as other closely related species. The unusually large size of ''Bathynomus'' has been attributed to an effect called deep-sea gigantism, where invertebrates living in cold deep waters tend to grow larg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taningia Danae
''Taningia danae'', the Dana octopus squid, is a species of squid in the family Octopoteuthidae. It is one of the largest known squid species, reaching a mantle length of and total length of . The largest known specimen, a mature female, weighed .Roper, C.F.E. & P. Jereb 2010. Family Octopoteuthidae. In: P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper (eds.) Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 2. Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids'. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes No. 4, Vol. 2. FAO, Rome. pp. 262–268. ''Taningia danae'' is named after Danish fisheries biologist Åge Vedel Tåning (1890–1958), who often traveled on the research vessel '' Dana''. Ecology ''Taningia danae'' possesses bioluminescence, like other octopoteuthids. Its photophores are some of the largest such organs known to science, the organs being compared in size to fists or lemons. They possess a black membrane over the photophore that may conceal the organs, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onykia Robusta
''Onykia robusta'', also known as the robust clubhook squid and often cited by the older name ''Moroteuthis robusta'', is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. Reaching a mantle length of ,Norman, M.D. 2000. ''Cephalopods: A World Guide''. ConchBooks. it is the largest member of its family and one of the largest of all cephalopods. The tentacular clubs are slender, containing 15–18 club hooks. Arms of the species contain 50–60 suckers, and grow to 90–100% of the mantle length. It is found primarily in the boreal to Temperate Northern Pacific. Confusion with ''Architeuthis'' Some time before 1993, a large individual of ''O. robusta'' was photographed by Japanese diver Kubota H. in shallow water off southern Japan.Ellis, R. 1998. ''The Search for the Giant Squid''. The Lyons Press. In this image, the animal, which appears to be sick or dying, is shown with a diver, although the use of a wide-angle lens exaggerates its size. A video of the same squi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Squid
The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of abyssal gigantism: recent estimates put the maximum size at around Tracey, D. M., O. F. Anderson & J. R. Naylor (2011)''A guide to common deepsea invertebrates in New Zealand waters. Third edition.''National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington. 317 pp.Yukhov, V. L. (2014)Гигантские кальмары рода ''Architeuthis'' в Южном океане / Giant calmaries ''Аrchiteuthis'' in the Southern ocean igantskiye kalmary roda ''Architeuthis'' v Yuzhnom okeane.''Ukrainian Antarctic Journal'' no. 13: 242–253. for females and for males, from the posterior fins to the tip of the two long tentacles (longer than the colossal squid at an estimated , but substantially lighter, due to the tentacles making up most of the length). The mantle of the giant squid is about long ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid (''Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni'') is part of the family Cranchiidae. It is sometimes called the Antarctic squid or giant cranch squid and is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only recognized member of the genus ''Mesonychoteuthis'' and is known from only a small number of specimens. The species is confirmed to reach a mass of at least , though the largest specimens—known only from beaks found in sperm whale stomachs—may perhaps weigh as much as ,e Papa(2019)How big is the colossal squid on display?Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.e Papa(2019)The beak of the colossal squid Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. making it the largest known invertebrate. Maximum total length has been estimated at .Roper, C.F.E. & P. Jereb (2010). Family Cranchiidae. In: P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper (eds.) Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 2. Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids'. FA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven-arm Octopus
The seven-arm octopus (''Haliphron atlanticus'') is one of the two largest known species of octopus; based on scientific records, it has a maximum estimated total length of and mass of . The only other similarly large extant species is the giant Pacific octopus, ''Enteroctopus dofleini''. The genera ''Alloposina'' Grimpe, 1922, ''Alloposus'' Verrill, 1880 and ''Heptopus'' Joubin, 1929 are junior synonyms of ''Haliphron'', a monotypic genus in the monotypic family Alloposidae, part of the superfamily Argonautoidea in the suborder Incirrata of the order Octopoda. Description The seven-arm octopus is so named because in males, the hectocotylus (a specially modified arm used in egg fertilization) is coiled in a sac beneath the right eye. Due to this species' thick, gelatinous tissue, the arm is easily overlooked, giving the appearance of just seven arms. However, like other octopuses, it actually has eight. Distribution The type specimen of ''H. atlanticus'' was collected ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deepwater Stingray
The deepwater stingray or giant stingaree (''Plesiobatis daviesi'') is a species of stingray and the sole member of the family Plesiobatidae. It is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, typically over fine sediments on the upper continental slope at depths of . This species reaches in length and in width. It has an oval pectoral fin disc with a long, flexible, broad-angled snout. Most of the entire latter half of its tail supports a distinctively long, slender, leaf-shaped caudal fin. Its coloration is dark above and white below, and its skin is almost completely covered by tiny dermal denticles. Preying on crustaceans, cephalopods, and bony fishes, the deepwater stingray may hunt both on the sea floor and well above it in open water. It is probably aplacental viviparous, with the mother supplying her gestating young with histotroph ("uterine milk"). Captured rays merit caution due to their long, venomous stingers. This species is taken by deepwater commercial fisheries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Oarfish
The giant oarfish (''Regalecus glesne'') is a species of oarfish of the family Regalecidae. It is an oceanodromous species with a worldwide distribution, excluding polar regions. Other common names include Pacific oarfish, king of herrings, ribbonfish, and streamer fish. ''R. glesne'' is the world's longest bony fish. Its shape is ribbon-like, narrow laterally, with a dorsal fin along its entire length, stubby pectoral fins, and long, oar-shaped pelvic fins, from which its common name is derived. Its coloration is silver and blue with spots of dark pigmentation, and its fins are crimson. Its physical characteristics and undulating mode of swimming have led to speculation that it might be the source of many "sea serpent" sightings. Taxonomy ''R. glesne'' was first described by Peter Ascanius in 1772. The genus name, ''Regalecus'', signifies "belonging to a king"; the specific epithet ''glesne'' is from "Glesnaes", the name of a farm at Glesvær (not far from Norway's second la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Spider Crab
The Japanese spider crab (''Macrocheira kaempferi'') is a species of marine crab that lives in the waters around Japan. It has the largest known leg-span of any arthropod. It goes through three main larval stages along with a prezoeal stage to grow to its great size. The genus ''Macrocheira'' contains multiple species. Two fossil species of this genus have been found, ''M. ginzanensis'' and ''M. yabei'', both from the Miocene of Japan. Its diverse taxonomic history is an important part of what these creatures are and how they evolved to be what they are today. They are sought by crab fisheries, and are considered a delicacy in Japan. Conservation efforts aim to protect these creatures and their population from overfishing. The Japanese spider crab is similar in appearance to the much smaller European spider crab ''(Maja squinado)'', though the latter, while within the same superfamily, belongs to a different family, the Majidae. Description The Japanese spider crab has the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alicella
''Alicella gigantea'' is the largest species of amphipod ever observed, with some individuals reaching up to long. The average length of A. gigantea ranges from 72.5 to 141.0 millimeters, and its weight ranges from 4.2 to 45 grams Comparatively to other amphipods, the A. gigantea grows at a much faster rate. Formerly included in the family Lysianassidae, a new family, Alicellidae, was erected in 2008 for ''Alicella'' and five related genera. The species lives only at great depths; the first specimens were collected at the end of the 19th century from the Madeira Abyssal Plain, and subsequent specimens have been found in other abyssal plains of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as from the Kermadec Trench in the southwest Pacific. One specimen was found in the stomach of a black-footed albatross The black-footed albatross (''Phoebastria nigripes'') is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae from the North Pacific. All but 2.5% of the population is found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gigantocypris
The giant ostracod (''Gigantocypris'') or the giant seed shrimp is a genus of ostracod crustaceans in family Cypridinidae, and among the most well-known members of the class Ostracoda (together with ''Vargula hilgendorfii''). Its members are extremely large for ostracods, measuring up to across, have a globular shape, are typically semi-transparent orange or reddish, and while compound eyes are absent they have a large pair of mirror-like naupliar eyes that are used to locate their small animal prey. They are found worldwide in dark, deep and cold oceans. Range and habitat ''Gigantocypris'' are ubiquitous in open oceans around the world, ranging from tropical to polar regions. Although locally abundant, the distributions of the individual species are often not well known. ''G. dracontovalis'' is found worldwide, mostly deeper than the other species. ''G. agassizii'' is essentially a widespread Pacific species, and ''G. muelleri'' a widespread Atlantic and Southern Ocean specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
