Giant isopod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Giant isopods |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Subphylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: |
Cirolanidae
|
| Genus: |
Bathynomus
|
Giant isopods are big crustaceans that live at the bottom of the ocean. They can grow up to 45 cm long and weigh up to 1.7 kg. Currently about 9 different species are known. Giant isopods usually eat dead whales, fish and squid. They may also be active scavengers, and hunt slow-moving prey, such as sea cucumbers, sponges, nematodes. Perhaps they even catch live fish. They live in depths between 170m to about 2200m. Over 80% can be found between 365 m and 730 m of depth. They probably prefer a muddy or clay ocean floor environment, and lead solitary lives.
Images for kids
-
A frontal view of Bathynomus giganteus, showing its large, highly reflective compound eyes
-
The underside of Bathynomus giganteus
See also
In Spanish: Bathynomus para niños
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Giant isopod Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.