What’s
Supersizing Antarctica’s Sea Spiders?
Polar sea spiders grow bigger than their equatorial
brethren.
by Meredith Swett Walker .December 29, 2015
With eight spindly legs, a minimalist body, and long proboscis, sea spiders
look like something from the fever dream of an arachnophobic science fiction
author. But sea spiders are very real, and they live all over the world. And in
the dark, cold waters of the polar oceans, sea spiders grow big, huge—their
legs spanning the width of your face.Formally known as pycnogonids, sea spiders
are a primitive group of marine arthropods. They’re not technically spiders.
Most often, sea spiders are small, cryptic creatures.Yet in the Arctic Ocean
and Southern Ocean, sea spiders grow huge. But they’re not the only ones that
do. The polar oceans are awash in creatures of
unusual size, including copepods, echinoderms, and certain mollusks that
grow larger than their more equatorial relatives—a phenomenon called “polar
gigantism.”
Read rest see pics here:http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/whats-supersizing-antarcticas-sea-spiders
just a cheering thought as the new year approaches....giant spiders .What else could be lurking that is giant size in polar waters?
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