Episode 3118
Alicella
Mon, 2025-Nov-17 00:30 UTC
Length - 2:16
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.
The featured article for Monday, 17 November 2025, is Alicella.
Alicella gigantea is a giant species of amphipod that lives in the deep sea. Sometimes referred to as the "supergiant amphipod", the largest of these crustaceans reach up to 34 cm (13 in) in length. It is the only species within the genus Alicella. This species lives only at 4,850–7,000 m (15,910–22,970 ft) in depth. The species is white in colour and is distinguished from other deep sea amphipods by minute anatomical differences, apart from size in the larger specimens. The large size of the species is often presented as an example of abyssal gigantism, though the specifics of this trait remain under investigation. Genetic studies into the species have found that it has an exceptionally large genome, which may be linked to its large body size.
It was first collected and described in the 1890s from the Madeira Abyssal Plain off the Canary Islands. Although it is rarely detected, A. gigantea is a cosmopolitan species and can potentially occur in 59% of the world's oceans. Their diet varies with age, but they are primarily scavengers of carrion. Like other amphipods, female A. gigantea brood their eggs in pouches. Individuals of the species are inferred to have an unusually long life span and can reach over 10 years in age. Despite their relative isolation from the surface, human pollutants such as DDT and chlordane have been detected in specimens.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:30 UTC on Monday, 17 November 2025.
For the full current version of the article, see Alicella on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm standard Amy.
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