Sea spider - Pycnogonida


Always a strange find are Pycnogonids or "sea spiders." Neither spiders nor crustaceans, they are in a group by themselves, an animal typically with 8 legs and almost no abdomen. Eggs develop in the legs of the female, which we did not realize until this photo just happened to focus on them! Eggs are extruded and fertilized externally, and the male bundles them up and carries them under his body until hatching. 15mm

31 October 2018

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