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Longing for visiting penguins and seals in Antarctica? We at Mind Berries believe that is a swell thought! Yet, what about giving the ocean pig or scale worm some affection while you're there? What are ocean pigs and scale worms, you inquire? Only a couple of the odd ocean animals found not very far in the past in the crisp waters of the Antarctic Sea. Very little is thought about a great deal of the creatures that live under there, yet we will attempt our best to fill you in. At the point when you visit Antarctica, here are 10 captivating animals you may very well find!
1. The Hoff Crab
The Hoff crab (Kiwa tyleri on the off chance that you need to be exhausting) gets its name due to having a "shaggy" chest that helps everyone to remember David Hasselhoff's own furry chest. Desirous not to have a crab named after you? At that point grow a furry chest next time, alright? Anyway, this crab hangs out in water temperatures of 32 °F (0 °C), which gets a piece unreasonably cold for their preferences, so they cluster down close aqueous vents on the sea depths so they feel decent and toasty. Therefore, their chest hair is really microscopic organisms, which they love to scrap off and chomp on. Yum?
2. Antarcturus sp.
The Antarcturus (sp?) holds the distinction of being the only creature on this list without a fun and exciting name. Little is known about these guys (fun fact: Wikipedia articles have been written about them in Dutch and Vietnamese, but not in English as of yet, so get to work one of you pedia-types!) For the record they are isopods that live deep in the ocean and fancy a delicious sponge or coral branch as part of their diet.
The Antarcturus (sp?) holds the distinction of being the only creature on this list without a fun and exciting name. Little is known about these guys (fun fact: Wikipedia articles have been written about them in Dutch and Vietnamese, but not in English as of yet, so get to work one of you pedia-types!) For the record they are isopods that live deep in the ocean and fancy a delicious sponge or coral branch as part of their diet.
3. The Sandhopper
The sandhopper sounds like something out of Star Wars, but it’s not as impressive as it sounds. If disturbed, it hops away like a coward, basically. It is also interesting to note that this crustacean does double duty: sometimes it likes to hang out in the water, but is totally down with living on the land just like you and me. It’s related to the crab, lobster and shrimp. So if you see one, feel free to dunk it in hot butter, we guess.
The sandhopper sounds like something out of Star Wars, but it’s not as impressive as it sounds. If disturbed, it hops away like a coward, basically. It is also interesting to note that this crustacean does double duty: sometimes it likes to hang out in the water, but is totally down with living on the land just like you and me. It’s related to the crab, lobster and shrimp. So if you see one, feel free to dunk it in hot butter, we guess.
4. The Scale Worm
There’s no getting around it, friends. The scale worm (Eulagisca gigantea if you’re nasty) is hideous looking, even with their Hollywood smiles. They live on the ocean floor and can grow up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide. It’s got this retractable mouthpart that can be turned inside out and folded into its body. A neat trick, yeah? Okay, we’re going to slowly back away. RUN!!!
There’s no getting around it, friends. The scale worm (Eulagisca gigantea if you’re nasty) is hideous looking, even with their Hollywood smiles. They live on the ocean floor and can grow up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide. It’s got this retractable mouthpart that can be turned inside out and folded into its body. A neat trick, yeah? Okay, we’re going to slowly back away. RUN!!!
5. The Comb Jelly
The comb jelly (ctenophore) is a soft, transparent creature from our darkest nightmares. The thing looks like something out of Aliens, guys. On the other hand, these cousins of the jellyfish are kind of bright and shiny. And we all love to drool over bright and shiny things, right? When light strikes their paddles, they emit an array of different colors, giving them a really cool appearance. Just don’t pick one of them up and stick it in your mouth. One of our young interns learned this the hard way.
The comb jelly (ctenophore) is a soft, transparent creature from our darkest nightmares. The thing looks like something out of Aliens, guys. On the other hand, these cousins of the jellyfish are kind of bright and shiny. And we all love to drool over bright and shiny things, right? When light strikes their paddles, they emit an array of different colors, giving them a really cool appearance. Just don’t pick one of them up and stick it in your mouth. One of our young interns learned this the hard way.
6. The Sea Pig
This one is our personal favorite. Also known as the sea cucumber (two zany nicknames!), it loves to feast on scum and decaying plant matter. Like a real pig, basically. But instead of tasting like delicious bacon, it tastes like decidedly undelicious poison. Sad news though: the sea pig lives in the deepest part of the Antarctic Ocean, so you are unlikely to encounter one.
This one is our personal favorite. Also known as the sea cucumber (two zany nicknames!), it loves to feast on scum and decaying plant matter. Like a real pig, basically. But instead of tasting like delicious bacon, it tastes like decidedly undelicious poison. Sad news though: the sea pig lives in the deepest part of the Antarctic Ocean, so you are unlikely to encounter one.
7. Glass Sponges
Check this out: the glass sponge isn’t made out of glass and it is worthless as a cleaning tool for washing dishes. So what gives? Well, their skeletons are made of silica, which is one of the main components of glass. Satisfied with that answer? Glass sponges don’t have a particularly sophisticated palate; they will pretty much eat whatever the ocean sends their way. They’re also unfortunately dying at high rates due to global warming. So let’s do our part and heal the planet. Let’s do it for the glass sponges, guys.
Check this out: the glass sponge isn’t made out of glass and it is worthless as a cleaning tool for washing dishes. So what gives? Well, their skeletons are made of silica, which is one of the main components of glass. Satisfied with that answer? Glass sponges don’t have a particularly sophisticated palate; they will pretty much eat whatever the ocean sends their way. They’re also unfortunately dying at high rates due to global warming. So let’s do our part and heal the planet. Let’s do it for the glass sponges, guys.
8. Antarctic Feather Star
The Antarctic feather star (or Promachocrinus kerguelensis if you want to sound like a super smart scientist) live at the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean near the coast of Antarctica. They like cold water (duh) and they possess 20 feathery arms that allow them to swim with grace and poise. The true stars of the sea, we guess.
The Antarctic feather star (or Promachocrinus kerguelensis if you want to sound like a super smart scientist) live at the bottom of the Antarctic Ocean near the coast of Antarctica. They like cold water (duh) and they possess 20 feathery arms that allow them to swim with grace and poise. The true stars of the sea, we guess.
9. The Sea Spider
Do you enjoy the sea? Do you like spiders? Then you will absolutely love the sea spider! But you would eventually be devastated to learn that they aren’t actually spiders at all. They’re still pretty cool marine arthropods though. They can grow more than 14 inches (35 centimeters) long, by far the largest of their type. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why they get so big, so we’re just going to assume it is a glandular problem until proven otherwise.
Do you enjoy the sea? Do you like spiders? Then you will absolutely love the sea spider! But you would eventually be devastated to learn that they aren’t actually spiders at all. They’re still pretty cool marine arthropods though. They can grow more than 14 inches (35 centimeters) long, by far the largest of their type. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why they get so big, so we’re just going to assume it is a glandular problem until proven otherwise.
10. The Springtail
Springtails sound like something you’d call an adorable furry critter that feeds on hugs and positivity, don’t you think? But they’re actually hexapods that are similar to insects in many ways. At less than 1 millimeter long, they are nonetheless the largest Antarctic animal that lives exclusively on land. In order to avoid freezing to death, they are able to slow down their metabolism levels in order to conserve energy as well as produce glycerol. But if conditions are super harsh, they will die anyway. Sad.
Springtails sound like something you’d call an adorable furry critter that feeds on hugs and positivity, don’t you think? But they’re actually hexapods that are similar to insects in many ways. At less than 1 millimeter long, they are nonetheless the largest Antarctic animal that lives exclusively on land. In order to avoid freezing to death, they are able to slow down their metabolism levels in order to conserve energy as well as produce glycerol. But if conditions are super harsh, they will die anyway. Sad.
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