Dead alligator is devoured by giant ‘pill bugs’ on the sea floor in creepy video

BGR ^ | April 11, 2019 | Mike Wehner

[C19fan]

When an animal dies in a forest or field its body usually becomes food for scavengers large and small. Sometimes that includes larger animals like vultures or wild dogs, but it’s usually insects that are left to clean up the last bits of tissue. The bottom of the sea is no different and, as a new video from the Gulf of Mexico reveals, there’s always something waiting for a free meal.

Scientists from LUMCON were studying the effects of “food falls” in the sea, providing marine scavengers with a feast by dropping dead alligators into the Gulf and then observing the results. The video they captured is equal parts science and nightmare fuel.

[Cold Heart]

Researchers were surprised how quickly the isopods detected the scent..

I am never surprised how little scientists or researchers know. When I drop a baited crab pot the crabs are there in minutes.

[riverrunner]

The picture doesn’t give much of scale.

That could be a .250 or .375 inch rope meaning the dead gator is small and the bugs smaller.

[V K Lee]

Strange, SciFi Fans have yet to discover a movie made “Attack of the Giant Doodlebugs”. Giant Gila monsters, killer shrews are now old news.

[Carriage Hill]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=54YezX7HeSI

[Buckeye McFrog]

So that is what happens to sailors when they are buried at sea.

They're likely chomping on Bin Laden right now.
Joke's on him cause they're not halal.

[RandallFlagg]

You all should check out the videos from zefrank on YouTube.

Hilarious!

[KMG365]

Those are called rolly pollies where I come from.

[SkyDancer]

OBL got ‘et up like that too.

[SkyDancer]

Depends how deep. I’ve seen objects that were crushed into tiny things when brought up - a Styrofoam cup was crushed into the size of a thimble.

[EinNYC]

Actually, I think the closest living relative to a trilobite is probably a horseshoe crab. They are placed with arachnids (spiders, etc.), but I think that being more basal (ancient), they are more similar to other basal organisms than more highly evolved arachnids. If you turn a horseshoe crab over, you will see its jointed legs and thus its relation to spiders. I also think it's a relative of trilobites. The resemblance cannot be denied.

[Born to Conserve]

They’re edible:
https://youtu.be/54m4SDJiL6U

[EinNYC]

Did they collect naturally deceased alligators or did they kill them themselves? And why alligators? Why not terrestrial animals?

[ridesthemiles]

Unless that is a baby alligator, those are some BIG scavengers!!!

[deport]

The video doesn’t give specifics other than to say the bugs
are about as big as a football..... So who knows.

[Oatka]

The picture doesn’t give much of scale.
That could be a .250 or .375 inch rope meaning the dead gator is small and the bugs smaller.

My first thought. I was expected something like the size of a dog.

[ADemocratNoMore]

I was expecting something the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.