Deviantart.com image by Morisal

The scientists who identified a new giant deep-sea isopod from Puerto Rico have now laid out how they think the whole group spread around the planet, and the story begins in waters off the southern United States. In an account released by the University of Tübingen on Oct. 15, researchers Ingmar Werneburg and Benedikt Kästle said the genus Bathynomus likely arose in what is now the Gulf of Mexico more than 15 million years ago. From there, they propose, the animals moved west through a sea passage that no longer exists. Werneburg explained that at the time "the Isthmus of Panama was open, leaving a strait between North and South America." That route let the crustaceans spread as far as Japan. The proposal connects a single dried specimen in a German drawer to the movement of continents and a cooling planet. It also suggests the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, waters bordering Puerto Rico and the Gulf Coast states, played an outsized role in the early history of these deep-sea giants. Update Note: This article reports new information involving the evolutionary history proposed for the giant isopod Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis following Nature World News' earlier coverage. The latest verified information comes...

Benedikt Kästle i Ingmar Werneburg odkryli nowy gatunek głębinowego skorupiaka Bathynomus tuebingoborikensis koło Portoryko.

The ancestors of the giant isopod Bathynomus jamesi—a seafloor-dwelling creature that resembles a huge pill bug—acquired the snippet of DNA from bacteria more than 16 million years ago, according to a new study. The gene helps the animal slow its metabolism

The ancestors of the giant isopod Bathynomus jamesi—a seafloor-dwelling creature that resembles a huge pill bug—acquired the snippet of DNA from bacteria more than 16 million years ago, according to a new study. The gene helps the animal slow its metabolism

The ancestors of the giant isopod Bathynomus jamesi—a seafloor-dwelling creature that resembles a huge pill bug—acquired the snippet of DNA from bacteria more than 16 million years ago, according to a...

The ancestors of the giant isopod Bathynomus jamesi—a seafloor-dwelling creature that resembles a huge pill bug—acquired the snippet of DNA from bacteria more than 16 million years ago, according to a...

 On a social network, a post about a strange deep-sea creature sparked thousands of reactions. It's about Bathynomus giganteus, a giant crustacean, a relative of the woodlouse, that lives in the absolute darkness of the ocean. It can grow up to 50 centimetres, has 14 legs, and can go without food for more than five years. (Staff: Global / Science & Nature)

Pe o rețea socială, o postare despre o creatură stranie din adâncuri a stârnit mii de reacții. Este vorba despre Bathynomus giganteus, un crustaceu gigantic, rudă cu păduchele de lemn, care trăiește în întunericul absolut al oceanului. Poate crește până la 50 de centimetri, are 14 picioare și poate rămâne fără hrană mai mult de cinci ani. (Staff: Global / Știință & Natură)

 Op een sociaal netwerk veroorzaakte een bericht over een vreemd diepzeewezen duizenden reacties. Het gaat om Bathynomus giganteus, een reusachtige kreeftachtige, verwant aan de pissebed, die in de absolute duisternis van de oceaan leeft. Hij kan tot 50 centimeter groot worden, heeft 14 poten en kan meer dan vijf jaar zonder voedsel. (Personeel: Wereldwijd / Wetenschap & Natuur) Een wezen dat uit een sciencefictionfilm lijkt te komen…