Copepods share diver's weight belt technique with whales

1:55 AM Fri 17 Jun 2011 GMT

'Copepod' British Antarctic Survey &copy Click Here to view large photo

A deep-sea mystery has been solved with the discovery that the tiny three mm long marine animals, eaten by herring, cod and mackerel, use the same buoyancy control as whales. Reporting this week in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, researchers from British Antarctic Survey describe how Southern Ocean copepods - a crustacean rich in omega-3 oil - 'hibernates' in the deep ocean during winter when seas are stormy and food scarce. To reach the ocean depths the copepod's oily body fluids undergo a remarkable transformation. As the animals swim deeper, water pressure triggers a process that converts their oil to ...

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by British Antarctic Survey