Be careful if you dive in a Canary Island underwater cave called the Tunnel of Atlantis.
Researchers from the Institute for Animal Ecology and Cell Biology in Hannover, Germany were exploring the cave, which happens to be the world's longest underwater lava tube, and came across an eyeless crustacean previously unknown to science.
What distinguishes this eyeless crustacean from others found in underwater caves is its powerful fangs, which function like hypodermic needles injecting poison into the sometimes larger prey.
Despite its lack of eyes, this crustacean is apparently quite successful in its evolutionary niche. The German scientists believe these creatures may be survivors of an ancient group of crustaceans that were widespread in the Mesozoic oceans more than 200 million years ago.
Photo courtesy Ulricke Strecker via National Geographic News
Researchers from the Institute for Animal Ecology and Cell Biology in Hannover, Germany were exploring the cave, which happens to be the world's longest underwater lava tube, and came across an eyeless crustacean previously unknown to science.
What distinguishes this eyeless crustacean from others found in underwater caves is its powerful fangs, which function like hypodermic needles injecting poison into the sometimes larger prey.
Despite its lack of eyes, this crustacean is apparently quite successful in its evolutionary niche. The German scientists believe these creatures may be survivors of an ancient group of crustaceans that were widespread in the Mesozoic oceans more than 200 million years ago.
Photo courtesy Ulricke Strecker via National Geographic News
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.
From The Daily Galaxy:
"Resembling a centipede, remipedes have hollow-tip fangs that inject a venom potent enough to kill small shrimp or other marine life, but not toxic enough to harm humans, Iliffe says."