the.com/copepod
A speck of a crustacean that may outweigh humanity, pound for pound, worldwide.
means A tiny aquatic crustacean, usually just a millimeter or two long, that drifts in vast numbers through oceans and lakes and anchors much of the aquatic food web.
from Built from Greek kōpē, 'oar,' and pous/pod-, 'foot' — so, quite literally, 'oar-foot,' a name coined by 19th-century zoologists describing the paddle-like limbs copepods use to row themselves through water.
- biomass king
- possibly the most numerous animals on Earth
- ocean plumbing
- their poop sinks carbon to the deep sea
- speed demon
- escapes predators at 500 body lengths per second
- food web base
- nearly every fish you eat ate one first