Crustacean · isopod

Giant Antarctic isopod

Glyptonotus antarcticus

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From the coast down to 790 m

Size

Up to about 20 cm and 70 g

Diet

Scavenger and seafloor hunter

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• Elsewhere, isopods of this kind are no more than a few centimeters long. It is an example of polar gigantism.
• The female keeps her young in a pouch under her belly.
• It breeds all year round, with no fixed season.
• Deprived of food, it slows its body down by nearly 70% in six weeks.

Verified sources

1. Australian Antarctic Division : communautés du fond
2. Janecki & Rakusa-Suszczewski 2006, Polar Bioscience

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Volcano spongeAnoxycalyx joubini Southern Ocean yeti crabKiwa tyleri Giant Antarctic octopusMegaleledone setebos Giant Antarctic ribbon wormParborlasia corrugatus Giant scale wormEulagisca gigantea Giant tube wormRiftia pachyptila