Jan 14
Giant Isopods, Doritos, and You
Giant Isopods feasting on Doritos brand chips!
I came across this fascinating and funny photo in this SomethingAwful article. I used to read every animal, nature, and insect book I could get my hand on as a kid, but I’d never seen anything like this odd beast. I tried Googling “modern trilobite” and similar, but to no avail. Finally, I returned to SA and found the answer in the forums; they are Giant Isopods, crustaceans that live deep in the ocean. They are closely related to the woodlouse, a small critter that most people are familiar with; back East, we called them “sowbugs.”
Apparently, they’ve sparked a small Internet meme, inspiring clothing and music.
I’d love to know that backstory behind this photo. Who fed their three Isopods a bag of Doritos? And what’s their favorite flavor?
July 21st, 2008 at 1:45 am
The trilobytes were dragged up during a deep sea dredge. They died immediately from the pressure variance. The cook on the ship didn’t want them in his kitchen (in the freezer) so the crew snuck them in the kitchen for a quick picture to piss off the cook.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
theyre not triobytes… but aside from that your story seems beleivable
October 21st, 2008 at 11:41 am
They can breathe on land, but they just need to be in temperatures below 50 degrees. You can have them as pets in your own home.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
no, they cannot breath on land & the only way you can keep them as pets is if you happen to own a special aquarium that mimics thier natural environment & I think only scientific institutions are able to afford a tank like that
November 13th, 2008 at 4:54 am
i just think its funny as.i can imagine the look on the cooks face when he sees those big critters on the floor. are they alive? or are they just propped up on their stiff front legs?
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
I just think these are the coolest looking crustacean looking things in the world. They remind me of trilobites and trilobites are my favorite fossils.
January 29th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
giant isopod..they live in the deep ocean.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
the bag isn’t open! these things are trying to get into a bag of doritos, and it’s not even open! if i didn’t know better, i’d say t looks like someone faked it by making a small doritos bag! and finally, the big question, WHY DIDN’T ANY ONE TAKE CREDIT FOR THIS PHOTO! they could say something like: COME TO THE S.S.(insert name here) WE BREED BUGS FOR A PASS TIME! (do not eat doritos or sleep without a knife) THE S.S.(whatever i said before) IT’S FUN $***!
March 19th, 2009 at 11:28 am
They look like giant lobster tails, but do they taste like chicken?
June 17th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
They are giant isopods. Not made up creatures. The Doritos bag is the right size in the picture for the creatures surrounding it. They are related to pillbugs, or sow bugs, that you find in dark, moist areas, that roll up when you mess with them. They are related to shrimp and crabs. Some people actually eat them. I would try it at least once, lol.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I have quite enjoyed this picture. Thank you for sharing.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Yes, they are Giant Isopods. The Dorito bag is full size. They cannot live in the shallows and never on land. Scientific studies show that the immature (“child”) Giant Isopod can be a “landlubber”, at least in favorable conditions for just a short while, in a controlled scientific, marine environment. The adult Giant Isopod cannot live on, near, or even close to the shallows or on land at all. Look at the web site Sea and Sky. You’re sure to find your answers there. Nonetheless, a frightening pic for the cook, and a cleaver set-up if I must say so. They are in aspect the (pill bug, sow bug) we all have in our yards. Just a FANTASTIC, and fossil( hasn’t changed in millions of years) version. Love the pic. LOL
November 9th, 2009 at 8:36 am
They CAN survive out of their depth, as evidenced by the picture on the wikipedia article of a man holding one which is clearly kicking its legs in protest. Also from that same article – “The few specimens caught in the Americas with baited traps are sometimes seen in public aquaria.” So if they died above water, how do they get live ones to an aquarium? Jesus, people, learn your subject matter before you go spouting so-called ‘facts’.
February 20th, 2010 at 8:13 am
“So if they died above water, how do they get live ones to an aquarium?”
um… anon (nov 9th).. first there IS equipment that helps a deep-sea creature transition to a life in a lab.. So that is one consideration.
You say “learn your subject matter” yet you have just said a bunch of stuff, provided no links to back anything up. You just sort of said stuff like “Well i saw a picture and now i have a theory” or “i heard this therefore everyone else is wrong” Your take on the scientific method is just awful. I notice you’ve repeated verbatim something found on wikipedia.. which can be a suspect source to start with.
But if you ARE going to go off anything this article says, it might have been a good idea to read ALL of it as it clearly says not ALL isopods are found at extreme depths
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod
“they are found from the gloomy sublittoral zone at a depth of 170 metres (560 ft) to the pitch darkness of the bathypelagic zone at 2,140 metres (7,000 ft),”
I shall turn your excellent advice, that you gave at the end of your diatrabe, back to you to mull over for a little bit.
February 20th, 2010 at 8:15 am
but i will also say that i honestly don’t know anything about isopods, deep ocean or otherwise. I’m more talking about the prerequisites of “knowing” anything..
March 31st, 2010 at 3:14 pm
its funny that people generally find a way to argue over just about anything where having the ablility to post. Im surprised this hasnt gone racial lmao
April 1st, 2010 at 4:51 pm
i just think these things are the neatest looking creature on GODS planet !
April 4th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Like any deep benthic creature, you’d need to pressure acclimate them to successfully bring them to the surface without killing them (same thing in humans, if you go up to fast you get the bends and can die). they also do like lower temperatures, since deep areas are cooler on average, you’d also need to keep them cool and/or acclimate to warmer conditions. Sudden changes in environment is typically what kills these organisms. Also, being benthic, these are not coming to the surface to breath, so the comment about living on land is doubtful.
April 6th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
thats nasty but kool
May 25th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I believe when you need a dictionary to read the first paragraph of a blog post, you really wouldn’t want to continue, especially when you’re in a rush.
: I believe that you’re an asshole spammer.