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One of the deep’s denizens

An alien from inner space, this apparition is a common inhabitant of the world’s oceans—a member of the zooplankton, animals that are not strong swimmers but drift with the currents. The creature, an amphipod (a relative of beach hoppers) that feeds on other zooplankton called salps, actually only reaches an inch or so in length. A research group of WHOI and international scientists found this amphipod, and other interesting animals, in waters off Antarctica during a 2006 expedition to study salp ecology in the Southern Ocean.

(Photo by Laurence Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)