Terrifying Sea Critter Hauled from Ocean's Depths

[Horus_Risen]

I suddenly have a craving for some freshly steamed prawns. Wonder what that's all about.

 

[fabric]

The Japanese would eat it!

Yea Totally! :P Something that size would be a delicacy!

Kinda cool looking though... seems like something out of Starship Troopers haha

 

[Vulcan59]

Somehow this critter reminded me of Opee from Star Wars. :)

 

[Juba]

Oh gosh, and than knowing that it's closest relatives are parasitic crustacean called Cymothoa exigua that latches onto a fish tongue, specifically a spotted rose snapper's tongue, sucks blood out of the tongue until it atrophies and falls off, and then REPLACES the tongue with ITSELF by attaching itself onto the tongue stub that's left over, or any of it's parasitic relatives like Anilocra capensis and similar isopod parasites that thrive and live on virtually every known fish species, seems like Alien sequel, really ugly.

 

[Oompaloompa]

This is what caught my eye, not one of the many claw appendages..

Scientists have long remarked on the massive scale of this creature. C.R. McClain wrote on ScienceBlogs explained one theory for the size, that "deep-sea gigantism, for all crustaceans, is a consequence of larger cells sizes obtained under cold temperatures," citing a research paper from 1996.

This made me immedately think of Woolly Mammoths and other oversized animals that had died out at the passing of our last ice age. Were they larger due to a colder climate or just plenty of food? Im not sure if you can compare deep see high pressure cold with cold temperatures on land.

 

[The Mechanic]

Just speculating, but with all the dead fish and other animals on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, we could see quite a lot more of these in the future..

 

[Iron]

Oh gosh, and than knowing that it's closest relatives are parasitic crustacean called Cymothoa exigua that latches onto a fish tongue, specifically a spotted rose snapper's tongue, sucks blood out of the tongue until it atrophies and falls off, and then REPLACES the tongue with ITSELF by attaching itself onto the tongue stub that's left over, or any of it's parasitic relatives like Anilocra capensis and similar isopod parasites that thrive and live on virtually every known fish species, seems like Alien sequel, really ugly.

That creature is just disgusting. Bear in mind that as a Biologist I have a pretty trash-resistant stomach, but a creature that replaces a fish's tongue... is just too much.

Amazing in terms of sheer variety, but personally disgusting.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

Oh gosh, and than knowing that it's closest relatives are parasitic crustacean called Cymothoa exigua that latches onto a fish tongue, specifically a spotted rose snapper's tongue, sucks blood out of the tongue until it atrophies and falls off, and then REPLACES the tongue with ITSELF by attaching itself onto the tongue stub that's left over, or any of it's parasitic relatives like Anilocra capensis and similar isopod parasites that thrive and live on virtually every known fish species, seems like Alien sequel, really ugly.

:O
I think it's the most horrible thing I have read (or heard) concerning the animal kingdom!

 

[Z...]

Come on guys how do you expect to possibly face the lizzies when these funny critters horrify you so much :P
Let's not forget these are all faces of creation.
I am pretty much sure red snapper doesn't perceive it as disgusting as we do:

The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue. It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish.This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ.

so what we have here is the case of externally considerate parasite ;)

this blog is a little treasure cove if you are into parasites,
_http://dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html

"So, naturalists observe, a flea has smaller fleas that on him prey; and these have smaller still to bite ’em; and so proceed ad infinitum."
- Jonathan Swift

And here is little something that might interest our crew in France, in case someone offers you Bécasse pâté - you should know this:

The parasite for today plays a central role in a gourmet dish, and that culinary parasite is a tapeworm from the genus Amoebotaenia. Amoebotaenia lumbrici, along with a number of other species from its genus, happens to play a starring role in one of the most prized of French dishes. Host of Amoebotaenia are woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) and swarms of these tiny tapeworms live inside the bird's intestine. Woodcocks (also known as Bécasse) are popular game birds and gastronomically valued for its strong and unique flavour and taste. The woodcock is usually oven roasted whole with its innards intact. After it has been roasted, the intestine is removed to be chopped up and made into a pâté. The unique flavour of the pâté has apparently been attributed to all those little tapeworms which are packed into the woodcock's gut.

 

[Gimpy]

And here is little something that might interest our crew in France, in case someone offers you Bécasse pâté - you should know this:
Quote from: daily parasite
The parasite for today plays a central role in a gourmet dish, and that culinary parasite is a tapeworm from the genus Amoebotaenia. Amoebotaenia lumbrici, along with a number of other species from its genus, happens to play a starring role in one of the most prized of French dishes. Host of Amoebotaenia are woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) and swarms of these tiny tapeworms live inside the bird's intestine. Woodcocks (also known as Bécasse) are popular game birds and gastronomically valued for its strong and unique flavour and taste. The woodcock is usually oven roasted whole with its innards intact. After it has been roasted, the intestine is removed to be chopped up and made into a pâté. The unique flavour of the pâté has apparently been attributed to all those little tapeworms which are packed into the woodcock's gut.

There are also cheeses that are prized as 'gooey cheese', made that way by the worms that live inside the middle of the cheese. (I think of this cheese when tempted to eat any kind of cheese.) :D


Fwiw, I think the eating of insects for their protein and mineral content will become important as a food source in future here in the States. Its a common food source all over the world, except here. We are, collectively, a bunch of sissies when it comes to this kind of practical foodway.

 

[rylek]

And here is little something that might interest our crew in France, in case someone offers you Bécasse pâté - you should know this:

The parasite for today plays a central role in a gourmet dish, and that culinary parasite is a tapeworm from the genus Amoebotaenia. Amoebotaenia lumbrici, along with a number of other species from its genus, happens to play a starring role in one of the most prized of French dishes. Host of Amoebotaenia are woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) and swarms of these tiny tapeworms live inside the bird's intestine. Woodcocks (also known as Bécasse) are popular game birds and gastronomically valued for its strong and unique flavour and taste. The woodcock is usually oven roasted whole with its innards intact. After it has been roasted, the intestine is removed to be chopped up and made into a pâté. The unique flavour of the pâté has apparently been attributed to all those little tapeworms which are packed into the woodcock's gut.

This is bit off topic but the last part from Corto mentioning worms reminded me of Casu marzu aka Maggot cheese:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_cheese

Yum:)

Maybe they were trying to balance their protein and dairy intake.

 

[Juba]

Oh gosh, and than knowing that it's closest relatives are parasitic crustacean called Cymothoa exigua that latches onto a fish tongue, specifically a spotted rose snapper's tongue, sucks blood out of the tongue until it atrophies and falls off, and then REPLACES the tongue with ITSELF by attaching itself onto the tongue stub that's left over, or any of it's parasitic relatives like Anilocra capensis and similar isopod parasites that thrive and live on virtually every known fish species, seems like Alien sequel, really ugly.

:O
I think it's the most horrible thing I have read (or heard) concerning the animal kingdom!

Agree, parasites are really horrific, every single kind of them, no matter if they're feeding themselves on vegetation, animals or on human beings (higher densities included).

 

[mkrnhr]

I wonder if we were able tto see the invisible, how spirit attachements would look like..

 

[clerck de bonk]

I wonder if we were able tto see the invisible, how spirit attachements would look like..

Luckily, at least, I cannot!

 

[Gonzo]

That is one interesting sea bug. At 2.5 feet long, it would be a little bigger than the alien the exploded out of the guy's chest in Alien. Kind of looks like it too.

Coming from a maritime family, I was the odd one out, in that I actually found sea food and both freshwater and ocean fish rather disgusting. I have no idea where that came from, but, at my young age of 44, I have had little success in intentional desensitization via forcing myself to eat some of these things.

I almost wonder if I had such a traumatic previous life as plankton that the revulsion carried over through all of my past lives. :)

I can now almost enjoy many fish, provided the skin if off and no bone remains. I can almost enjoy scallops and have to work hard to enjoy shrimp. There are elements in the flavour I like, but they are overwhelmed by other flavours for which I do not find pleasant.

This makes me wonder about the psychological component to taste, both in the physical as well as aesthetic sense.

When I see people drooling over some large sea insect like a crab or lobster, I don't get it, and these were regular items in my house growing up. The first time I saw my mother cutting up an octopus tentacle, I was baffled by the thought of why early man would ever have thought to try to eat it. It really looks repulsive to me.

This 2.5 foot-long isopod is interesting from a diversity-of-creation perspective, but to see it as food would never occur to me.

No wonder I was a vegetarian in my late adolescence to mid-twenties.

It certainly would be a good halloween costume, considering the revulsion many have expressed - LOL.

I assume the ascent into lower pressure waters probably killed the poor thing. I wonder what it's next incarnation on the BBM will be - hopefully something with an aversion to latching onto deep sea research vessels.

Gonzo