Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post - Something weird nibbled my wifes leg while launching today

Fiskadoro · 10-08-2012, 06:24 PM

So I did some reading. The Isopod I describe above is one of thousands of different types of "freeswimming isopods" some of which are known to actually chase down and bite humans. Parasitic isopods spend their time on a host like a fish. Freeswimming isoapods are scavengers that swim around looking for food mostly the flesh of dead fish and animals.

Isopods come in all sizes, evidently the larger ones "gaint isopods" are kind of the deepwater vultures of the marine environment.

http://youtu.be/xeOSXtBCY30

Smaller freeswimming ones can swarm on people like insects.

http://www.currypilot.com/News/Local-News/Brookings-girl-victim-of-voracious-beach-bugs

“Very few crustaceans will actually bite you, but this nasty little creature is definitely one of them,” wrote Dave Cowles, a biologist at Walla Walla University in Washington. “Barefoot waders in an area with Excirolana find that the animals quickly swim toward and swarm over your bare feet, biting them so hard that blood will be flowing within moments. Since the animals are so small, the bites are tiny, but painful like a pinprick, and they’re often present in swarms of thousands.”

Jim

10-08-2012, 06:24 PM	#8
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	So I did some reading. The Isopod I describe above is one of thousands of different types of "freeswimming isopods" some of which are known to actually chase down and bite humans. Parasitic isopods spend their time on a host like a fish. Freeswimming isoapods are scavengers that swim around looking for food mostly the flesh of dead fish and animals. Isopods come in all sizes, evidently the larger ones "gaint isopods" are kind of the deepwater vultures of the marine environment. http://youtu.be/xeOSXtBCY30 Smaller freeswimming ones can swarm on people like insects. http://www.currypilot.com/News/Local-News/Brookings-girl-victim-of-voracious-beach-bugs “Very few crustaceans will actually bite you, but this nasty little creature is definitely one of them,” wrote Dave Cowles, a biologist at Walla Walla University in Washington. “Barefoot waders in an area with Excirolana find that the animals quickly swim toward and swarm over your bare feet, biting them so hard that blood will be flowing within moments. Since the animals are so small, the bites are tiny, but painful like a pinprick, and they’re often present in swarms of thousands.” Jim Last edited by Fiskadoro; 10-08-2012 at 06:45 PM.