The Antarctic Ocean is unique amongst the
worlds oceans in that it has no Decapod Crustaceans - crabs and lobsters
that are found in abundance in the rest of the world have never crossed the
Antarctic Convergence, so their role is taken by other organisms of which this
is one. Antarcturus signiensis has only been so far found in and
around Signy Island and the South Orkneys where it is regularly encountered on
dives down to 25m.
There are a whole host of organisms that take the
place of Decapod crustaceans in Antarctica, many of which display signs of
gigantism compared to their relatives elsewhere in the world. Underwater
Antarctica is a place where entirely new species to science may be encountered.
Paul Ward -
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