Absolutely Amazing Giant Isopods B. giganteus or giant isopods are very interesting creatures. They belong to the phylum Arthropoda and the class Crustacea. They are the largest isopods in the world. Typical isopods can be easily found such as woodlice. Giant isopods were first discovered in 1879 and first described by French zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards. Coincidently, the idea of a lifeless or "azoic" deep ocean was just refuted by Sir Charles Wyville Thomas and others. Commercial fisheries have little to no interest due to rarity. Giant isopods are a great example of deep-sea gigantism, examples of deep sea gigantism can be the giant squid, the Japanese spider crab and the deepwater stingray. A very interesting thing about giant isopods is that they inhabit different zones, the sublittoral zone, 170m, to the bathypelagic zone, 2140m. They are examples of deep sea gigantism, because they range from sizes of 19-36cm compared to common isopods which range from sizes 1-5cm. Giant isopods can curl up only exposing their hard and protective exoskeleton, protecting their vulnerable ventral side. They have a compound eye, just the way most insects have compound eyes. Seven pairs of appendages are present on giant isopods, but the first pair of appendages is modified to bring food into the jaws. Giant isopods are carnivorous, feeding on dead whales, fish and squid. They have the ability to be active predators and preying on slow moving prey such as sea cucumbers, sponges and nematodes. Even live fish can be the prey of a giant isopod. Food is scarce for the giant isopods so they must make the best