Scientists have discovered a crustacean that has lived on Earth for 300 million years (6 photos)

Scientists from the Bahamas have discovered an ancient deep-sea crustacean with huge eyes and an almost transparent body. The species, called Booralana nickorum, was recently discovered, but it has been living on the planet for 300 million years.





Researchers have discovered a new species of crustacean off the Bahamas that has actually been around for 300 million years. These isopod-like creatures are called Booralana nickorum. They have an almost transparent body, through which even the internal organs are visible, and unusually large eyes. The lack of color is explained by the fact that this species lives in the depths of the sea where there is very little light - and it simply does not need color or pigmentation.



The length of these crustaceans is only 55-76 millimeters. They are much larger than their relatives in the family Armadillidiidae (woodlice), which reach a length of about 14 mm, and therefore have an advantage, for example, in hunting their prey. The team discovered the new species at a depth of 540-560 meters in the waters of Exuma Sound in the Bahamas. Once the researchers examined the crustaceans on board, they were convinced that the species was "definitely different from anything they had seen before."





Scientists have found that these isopods are beneficial to the ocean. They play an important role in the ecosystem, accelerating the process of decomposition of plant and animal matter, and also preserving the carbon contained in the organic matter.