Discovered two new marine shrimp species specializing in eating whale carcasses

Researchers in the UK have discovered two new species of two-legged armor (amchipod) that specialize in eating whale carcasses.

Sea shrimp specializes in eating whale carcasses

UPI reported yesterday that researchers at the National Oceanographic Center, Southampton, England, have discovered two new species of marine creatures that look like shrimp. They were discovered in the south-west waters of Ireland, in the trap of ready-placed mackerel placed below 4,800 meters below sea level.

A close-up look at the shape of a marine creature belonging to the Paracallisoma family has just been discovered.(Photo: National Oceanographic Center.)

When the team recaptured the cage trap, they found 40,000 crustaceans belonging to 9,500 species, including two new species belonging to the family Haptocallisoma and Paracallisoma.

Crustaceans are the main source of whale food. But when whales die and sink to the bottom of the sea, they become prey to crustaceans. Similar to land-based maggots , small crustaceans in the amphipod group help clear decomposing meat on the seabed.

Like other amphipod species, newly discovered creatures also eat scavengers of marine animals such as whales. They can eat the dead body of a pig within a few days.

"The group of two-legged crustaceans is extremely rich and adaptable; there are currently about 10,000 known species. They live in all marine environments, from shallow waters to the deepest trenches below seabed, on land and in fresh water , "said researcher Tammy Horton.