Finally seeing some crabs, anthomastus, & big brisingid. 🦀 @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 803 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife - ThreadSky

tuexplorer1.bsky.social • 1 day ago

Finally seeing some crabs, anthomastus, & big brisingid. 🦀 @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 803 #SouthSandwichIslands #MarineLife

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notothentoma.bsky.social•1 day ago

It's too late on my time zone to develop on this 😅 but actually, the southern ocean and Antarctic bentic fauna is what it is because it doesn't have crabs! Everything would be different if crackers and pinchers were around! Temperature is what's keeping them at bay, or deep...

notothentoma.bsky.social•1 day ago

That said, I love centollas 🤤

tuexplorer1.bsky.social•1 day ago

Ya, I was a bit surprised we've started to see some. Not too many, but a few stragglers it seems.

jopabinia.bsky.social•1 day ago

Both are king crabs

tuexplorer1.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thank you. Maybe you can answer this for me: was wondering if the lack of crabs here could be part of why there's so many leeches and other parasites? I figured crabs ate them, but idk if they pluck them off other living animals.

echinoblog.bsky.social•1 day ago

It has been hypothesized that the Antarctic has a "Paleozoic style" ecosystem as postulated by Rich Aronson. This has been debated for many years that the absence of crabs and other bone-crushing predators has led to a soft bodied fauna https://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/21st-century-global-warming-threatens.html

tuexplorer1.bsky.social•1 day ago

Oh nice, thank you so much! I figured someone had done research along my line of thinking, but came up empty. 🫶

jopabinia.bsky.social•1 day ago

Absolutely no idea. @the-episiarch.bsky.social what do you think?

the-episiarch.bsky.social•1 day ago

looks like @echinoblog.bsky.social has already offered an explanation. I don't think the lack of crabs has anything to do with the parasites - those crabs aren't the type to go around plucking parasites.

Parasites are just part of the fauna - they don't need some special condition just to exist

tuexplorer1.bsky.social•14 hours ago

Thanks!

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