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Featured Creature

This alien from outer space is actually a common inhabitant of the world’s oceans. The creature, an amphipod (a relative of beach hoppers) that feeds on other zooplankton called salps, only reaches an inch or so in length. A research group of WHOI and international scientists found this particular animal in waters off Antarctica during a 2006 expedition to study the Southern Ocean ecosystem. (Photo by Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)