Phronima, the pram bug amphipod, is a small, translucent deep-sea hyperiid amphipod of the family Phronimidae. It resembles a shrimp with a head, eyes, jaws and clawed arms. Phronima are only seen in the wild at great depths, usually by submarine crews, and are usually only about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. Phronima are carnivorous; they eat small plankton.
The eyes of the adult Phronima are a further feature of wonder in an animal already beset with extraordinary habits and...
more »Phronima, the pram bug amphipod, is a small, translucent deep-sea hyperiid amphipod of the family Phronimidae. It resembles a shrimp with a head, eyes, jaws and clawed arms. Phronima are only seen in the wild at great depths, usually by submarine crews, and are usually only about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long. Phronima are carnivorous; they eat small plankton.
The eyes of the adult Phronima are a further feature of wonder in an animal already beset with extraordinary habits and adaptations. It has compound eyes, like most crustacea and insects, but unlike most it has four, not two. Each pair of eyes is situated on the side of the head. The outer and inner eye of each pair are actually in contact with each other. The outer eye is surrounded by a lozenge-shaped ball of eye-facet lenses commanding an enormous field of view - perhaps 270 degrees. One pair of eyes keeps a constant watch on the world ahead, whereas the other pair views the surroundings through the transparent walls of its temporary home.
Phronima served as an inspiration for the design of the Xenomorphs of the Alien film series - Phronima sedentaria: A common hyperiid amphipod. It travels in a "house" that is a hollowed-out salp test | Die bekannte Titel-Figur aus Ridley Scotts Kultfilm "Alien" hat als über 2 m großes Monster die Zuschauer erschauern lassen - und basiert doch nur auf diesem hundertmal kleineren Tiefsee-Krebschen. Der "Kinderwagen-Krebs" (engl. pram bug amphipod) legt seine Eier in einer ausgehöhlten Salpe ab, die er dann mit seinen langen Beinen über sich hält und behütet.
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