It was a surprise, when from a depth of about 7000 meters, seven giant crustaceans, 20 times larger than their closest paternts, appeared in the trap.

A group of researchers at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland), in cooperation with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) (New Zealand), have had a great surprise to find in their, a species of crayfish never seen before.

The “new” amphipod was immediately named as Supergiant Amphipod, because of its unusual size. The largest of the specimens captured, in fact, has a length of about 28 cm.

“They actually don’t feel real,” Jamieson told. “They feel like plastic toys. They have a waxy texture to them.”
The pale creatures have been found down in the Kermadec Trench, off the northeast coast of New Zealand, one of the deepest oceanic depressions on Earth.

In addition to the trap, by means specially designed ultra-deep submergence technology was deployed, the team deployed a camera system. The camera take images of other nine creatures, at about 2 km depth. It is unclear why many of these creatures, typically fleeting, was in the area. A week later, when the expedition returned in the same place, there was no trace of amphipods supergiants. It was “very, very strange,” said Jamieson.