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Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp

Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp
Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp
Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp
Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp
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487871
Caiger, Paul
Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp
Still Image
07/28/2019
Phronima sp. crustacean inside hollowed salp.jpg
Caption from 2021 WHOI Wall Calendar, October:
Some amphipods look like science-fiction monsters. When this deep-sea pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) is ready to lay eggs, it finds an unsuspecting salp, eats out the main body of the animal, and uses knifelike mouthparts to trim the empty husk into a brood chamber. It then pushes the hollow salp around like a pram. It is no surprise that Phronima is thought to be the inspiration for the main character of the Alien movies.
Photo by Paul Caiger
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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