#welost

Favorite moment of 2021: that one time we had a dance-off with a bunny-eared amphipod ✨⁠

⁠Amphipods are often mistaken for tiny shrimp. They resemble shrimp in some ways, but are laterally compressed and have no carapace. They’re important food for many fishes, invertebrates, seabirds, and even marine mammals. Amphipods are mostly detritivores (eating decomposing plant and animal parts, as well as feces) and scavengers. ⁠
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Amphipods in the genus Scina, like the cutie jamming in this video clip, can emit their own light (bioluminescence). Researchers have recorded this light and found that it is among the shortest wavelengths of light produced by any known organism!⁠