Crustacean · shrimp

Antarctic slope shrimp

Nematocarcinus lanceopes

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 3 oceans

Depth

From 550 to 4,000 m, mostly between 800 and 1,200 m

Size

Carapace up to about 3.4 cm

Diet

Varied food found on the bottom

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• It is the most widespread deep-sea shrimp in the Southern Ocean.
• On the slope of the Weddell Sea, it is the only truly abundant decapod.
• Its eggs take about 2 years to form inside the female’s body.
• According to models, it reached the slopes of the Antarctic continent after the last glaciation.

Verified sources

1. SeaLifeBase : Nematocarcinus lanceopes
2. Basher & Costello 2016, PeerJ
3. Gorny & George 1997, Polar Biology
4. Storch, Bluhm & Arntz 2001, Polar Biology

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Pioneer tubewormTevnia jerichonana Scorching chimney wormParalvinella sulfincola Hairy vent snailAlviniconcha spp. White vent crabBythograea thermydron Kairei blind crabAustinograea rodriguezensis Atlantic vent eelpoutPachycara thermophilum