Mystery of crocodiles devoured by strange sea creatures

April 10, 2019

A group of university researchers studying the role of crocodiles in the ecosystem have captured the moment when these animals are devoured by isopods.

A team of scientists from the Marine Consortium of the University of Louisiana (USA) placed three dead crocodiles 2.5 meters in different locations in the Gulf of Mexico. The goal was to study "How materials from terrestrial environments enrich food webs in ocean environments".

The experiment was led by Craig McClain and Clifton Nunnally. There, the researchers sent a remotely operated vehicle at a depth of 2,000 meters. The recording showed how the isopods of the deepwater giants immediately detected the bodies of the crocodiles and they ate them.

In just 24 hours, these large crustaceans found the reptiles placed at the bottom of the sea and, using their powerful jaws, the isopods tore the hard skin of the reptile and devoured its flesh until they could barely move.

Isopods are animals that have a huge storage capacity for accumulated energy. Thus, after such a meal, they will not have to feed for months or even years.

As Craig McClain explained, this was the first time they had used this method to "Examine the role of crocodiles in biodiversity and the carbon cycle in deep oceans".

From another world: the strange creatures they found at the bottom of the sea