Real Monstrosities

Hell as Habitat, part 2

Published on 2012-02-12 06:00:00

Image: NOAA Last time, we left the hydrothermal vents as steaming chimneys of boiling volcanic water, liquid smoke and underground flame. Minerals spew out and, through a process called chemosynthesis, bacteria are able to take poisonous hydrogen sulphide and make from it all the sugars they need for survival. They flourish in this deadly atmosphere and provide a source of food for a whole host of animals. They rely on energy not from the Sun, but from Earth herself. It's a community of life

Supergiant Amphipod

Published on 2012-02-10 10:53:00

So they found a massive amphipod over 4 miles deep in the Kermadec Trench off New Zealand. A good sized amphipod is usually a few centimetres long (an inch) but this thing is 28 cm (almost a foot)! And that's the biggest one they managed to drag up, they actually spotted on camera one that was 34 cm (over a foot) long. I guess they once found a 10 cm (4 inch) one and called it the Giant Amphipod. After that there was just one place to go. I beg the world to provide for me a Super-dupergiant A

Stalked Jellyfish

Published on 2012-02-10 06:00:00

Image: Wikipedia Stalked Jellyfish? What? It may seem strange but there really is such a thing as a jellyfish with a stalk. They have abandoned the usual life of swimming with the sea's most graceful wobble and have instead opted to attach themselves to the floor and stay there. The 50 or so species of Staurozoa range between a few millimetres to 15 cm in height. Most come from cold, coastal environments in the northern hemisphere, but some explorers find themselves around Antarctica and the b