Scientists Just Discovered a ‘Strawberry-Like’ Antarctic Invertebrate With 20 Arms

Do you love strawberries? If so, the new discovery by scientists in Antarctica may be the latest addition to your list of delights. A newly discovered species of invertebrate, calledThaumatomyrmex kotenkoi, is being referred to as a ‘strawberry-like’ creature, thanks to its pink hue and decorations of spines and cirri.

Apart from its external resemblance to fruit, what’s unique about this brown Antarctic isopod is its unorthodox limbs. Thaumatomyrmex kotenkoi is armed with a whopping 20 arms or ‘pereonites’, twice the number of limbs possessed by its relatives.

Using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray imaging, the research team observed the strange creature’s 200 setae (hairs) and spines of different lengths and shapes. These remarkable characteristics likely evolved to help the species thrive in its cold and murky environment.

The creature, which was described in the journal ZooKeys, was discovered in an 8-meter-deep fjord in the Weddell Sea. The isopod, which belongs to the family of Sphaeromatidae, has not yet been observed in other Antarctic locations.

“This discovery revealed something new in a place where it was thought that everything has already been studied,” remarked Julian Frias, lead researcher of the team. “Invertebrate diversity in Antarctica is still largely unexplored and this is a great example of how easy it is to find something new even in a place we think is well studied.”

The researchers explained that the invertebrate’s high number of limbs is likely an adaptation to its environment, where currents are swift and food sources are scarce, allowing the animal to have a wider reach when foraging.

Thaumatomyrmex kotenkoi also boasts an interesting life cycle. The isopod lives in colonies of females with the eggs maturing near the surface of the water. Additionally, the discovery of this species brings us one step closer to understanding the hydrothermal vent fauna of Antarctica. Like it or not, there’s much more yet to be discovered about this frozen continent.