Arthropods.

 

The main group of marine arthropods are crustaceans.

They aren't various in the White sea and the most of crustaceans are amphipods. There is one species of crabs (Hyas araneus) and one species of hermit-crabs (Pagurus pubescens):

Its soft abdomen locates in the shell of Buccinum elatium.

Shrimps:

This is Eualis gaymardii - the most common and accessible species.

And this is another species, less common and more interesting:

Sclerocrangon boreas - a big spiny predator shrimp!

Other crustaceans:

A very interesting plankton amphipode - Themysto abyssorum. It swims the most of its life rather deep in the pelagial.

Banal sea barnacles Semibalanus balanoides.

They are typical litoral animals defended from dryness and desalination with lime shell. You can see on the photo their legs (feeding filter).

Verruca stremia, another sea bernacle, smaller and less common.

 

A sea spider Nymphon sp.

These strange animals have a perfect mymicry! This specimen was about 7 cm in the leg-spread. These animals have huge legs but tiny body. Their body is so small that a lot of organs (intestines, gonads) are mostly locates in the legs!

A strange red ball is an egg pack. That means that I made a photo of a male spider (only males of sea spiders bear eggs).

 

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