A couple of weeks ago, while he was resting his feet in the cool ocean after an intense soccer game, a 16-year-old Australian teen was ‘attacked’ by tiny sea-creatures that littered his legs from the ankle down. When he stood up, he discovered his ankles were terribly bloody. His parents brought him straight to the hospital where everyone, including the doctors, was confused. Thankfully the boy did not sustain any severe injuries and doctors were able to stop the bleeding.
Since no one could figure out what had happened and what had caused the wounds, the boy’s father returned to the beach the day after the incident with a piece of meat and a net. He noticed small creatures swarming the meat, and eating it furiously. After examining a sample collected by the boy’s father, researchers of the Museums Victoria in Melbourne determined the creatures were called
Lysianassid Amphipods, also referred as sea-fleas.
Amphipods are crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Their size ranges from 0.039 to 12 inches. There are two kinds of amphipods, detritivores obtaining nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plants and animal parts), and scavengers. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming the dead animal and plant material. Detritivores complete this process, by consuming the remains left by scavengers.
The sea-creatures that attacked the Australian teen fall under the scavenging crustacean family. According to deep-marine studies, similar scavenger amphipods can be usually found on remains of sea animals such as whale carcasses that reach the sea bed. Other research shows that lysianassid amphipods can be found in cold shallow waters which corresponds to the habitat of Brighton Beach where the incident occurred.
As for why the boy was attacked, this remains a mystery. Researchers think that the boy may have disturbed a feeding group. In any case, there is no reason to worry. Amphipods aren’t piranhas and do not usually attack. As researchers explain, they can bite but do not usually cause this kind of injuries. The amphipods have no venomous properties and will not cause lasting damage.
Finally, to explain the severe bleeding, researchers suggest the amphipods may contain an anti-coagulant. This new discovery could actually serve medical scientists and help advance research regarding natural anti-coagulants and blood-thinner resources.
Sources:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/07/542029322/what-bloodied-this-teens-feet-tiny-marine-flesh-eaters-had-scientists-stumped?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170807
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphipoda
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00569437
http://www.extrememarine.org.uk/old/2015/wonderwhale/the-four-stages-of-dead-whale/index.html