# Help me identify this marine critter **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2013, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201 "2013-04-20T08:27:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/1 "2013-04-20T08:27:31Z")
One of our ROVs caught some video of a really neat looking critter, kind of reminds me of those old trilobites that fossilized really well. Also kind of looks like a giant wood louse. So, any ideas dopers on what [this](http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee184/drewtwo99/critter1_zps210feb81.jpg) is? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/2 "2013-04-20T08:36:47Z")
I believe that’s a giant isopod. What is your awesome job, if you don’t mind me asking? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/3 "2013-04-20T08:47:21Z")
It’s a tick. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/4 "2013-04-20T08:49:34Z")
I’m an offshore seismic data processor. The guys who pilot the ROVs that lay our seismic nodes that record the data down on the sea floor sometimes catch video of some really cool looking critters, and then forward the pictures to us (or sometimes we get to watch it live as they are seeing them). Definitely looks like a giant isopod as you said. Very quick identification! Thanks so much 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/5 "2013-04-20T10:41:31Z")
I agree, isopod. Very cool to get to see the things you do. If a company ever starts offering rides on those… I’d pay for sure! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/6 "2013-04-20T10:45:40Z")
It happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year that we see anything “interesting.” You’d be bored out of your mind and have to pay for several months of riding along just to have a chance at it, lol 😃 But yeah when it does happen, we are lucky and sometimes it’s hilarious. We often have crabs that like to sit on top of our nodes, and they have to use the sticky foot to push them off. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/7 "2013-04-20T11:50:23Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > I agree, isopod. > Very cool to get to see the things you do. If a company ever starts offering rides on those… I’d pay for sure! As an aside, Atlantis Submarines in Grand Cayman used to offer a 1000ft dive in a three person (pilot included) research-style sub. Put your money down and they would take you down the side of the Cayman Wall. Plenty to see. Unfortunately they stopped offering the deep sub after a hurricane in 2004. I think the sub was damaged. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/8 "2013-04-20T12:47:45Z")
So how big is that thing? Impossible to tell from the picture if it’s 1" long or 3’ long. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/9 "2013-04-20T12:54:43Z")
They are between 1ft and 3ft in length I think. You could hold them in your hands. Look up “Giant Isopod” on google and you’ll see some people holding them and whatnot. Big but not like the size of a whale or anything. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/10 "2013-04-20T13:45:18Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Also kind of looks like a giant wood louse. A reasonable observation, as they are, in fact, related. There’s also [this guy](http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f241/44221d1239579277-tongue-eating-isopod-tongue-replacement-isopod-1.jpg), who eats and then takes the place of the tongue of certain fish. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/11 "2013-04-20T14:40:41Z")
Nightmare fuel, that. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/12 "2013-04-20T14:52:28Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s a tick. Don’t be so suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-marine-critter/656201/13 "2013-04-20T20:24:58Z")
[Giant isopods](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gs_rn=9&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=Y6FinqDFREzN1T8o30YPsw&cp=7&gs_id=6t&xhr=t&q=giant+isopod&safe=off&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.cGE&biw=1366&bih=664&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=B_hyUfzhOJPRiAKU-IHIDg#um=1&safe=off&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=giant+isopod&oq=giant+isopod&gs_l=img.3..0l10.5952.6562.1.7591.4.3.0.0.0.0.123.275.2j1.3.0...0.0...1c.1.9.img.9iG4Tlc8eKY&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.cGE&fp=a739a58850a1164e&biw=1366&bih=664) are pretty popular organisms in the marine science world. Everyone always thinks we get in this field because we love dolphins, sea turtles, and the like but the truth is it’s weird organisms like this (that very few people get to see) that get us going. They’re about the size of a football (US) or rugby ball.