So big I could pet it

While sorting through my deep-sea Gulf of Mexico samples this morning I found this freakin’ huge nematode.  Isn’t it awesome????  Usually its only the parasitic species that get so big, but this one is a free-living species.  I’ll be pretty pissed off if BP has made this one extinct…

6 Replies to “So big I could pet it”

  1. This was from the deep-sea sites in the Gulf (slightly Southwest of Louisiana’s boot tip, I think). Most likely a known genus but a new species (well, new as in not formally described since most deep-sea nematodes haven’t been)–will send an update when our taxonomist collaborator has looked at this worm!

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