Description

The giant isopod (*Bathynomus giganteus*) is a species of aquatic crustacean and a cousin to terrestrial "pill bugs" or "roly polies" that are commonly found under logs. These animals are found in cold waters with a depth between 310 to 2140 meters (1,020–7,020 ft) in the West Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The unusually large size of these isopods has been attributed to an effect called deep-sea gigantism, where invertebrates living in cold deep waters tend to grow larger and have longer lifespans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod). More info here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/giant-isopods-curious-crustaceans-on-the-ocean-floor.html Accession #: 93.16 Captured with Artec Spider 3D Scanner https://www.artec3d.com/portable-3d-scanners/artec-spider-v2