A British aquarium is going to display live giant isopods!
Experts at the UK’s Sea Life Centre parks organised for nine of them to be transported from the US where they had been caught in lobster nets in the Atlantic.
Each was individually wrapped in wet hessian and newspaper before being packed into a box of ice.
They were then flown thousands of miles to London before being transported by truck to the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset.
The nine Isopods – Bathynonomous giganteus in Latin – will spend time in quarantine before going on display in large dark tanks in Blackpool.
Special reflective glass will give the giant creepy crawlies the feeling they are deep at the bottom of the sea, while still allowing spectators to peer in.
The headline in the Telegraph article is very silly, though. Woodlice (or roly-polies in America) may be isopods, but the mighty giant isopod of the deep is NOT a woodlouse!
Thanks, Greg!
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What was the name of of the newspaper if I may ask?
Hey there MG. Did you see your shout out on Blog Around the Clock by Bora?
http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2008/12/scienceonline09_introducing_th_2.php
check it out. see you soon.
And I am sure the Nine Giant Isopods of Blackpool will enter into English history. I will make a pilgrimmage across the pennines to see.
I am tempted to make a cheap comment about the respective intelligences of the Bathynonymous’ and the lagered up hen and stag night denizens of Blackpool to the disadvantage of the latter. But won’t.
What in the world is “wet hessian,” besides the name of my new band?
“Rollie-pollies” is new to me: the American name I am most familir with is “pill-bug”.
Martini-Corona, you should be ashamed, everybody knows what is being meant by wet hessian.
Sure, it’s all fun and games until the giant isopods invade Downing Street.
“Sure, it’s all fun and games until the giant isopods invade Downing Street.”
Oh please…..