Krill-Stephanie Marchelos

Resources

http://www.krillfacts.org/1-krill-facts-center.html

5 interesting facts

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/krill/

1.Krill oil is a good source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. It can protect against heart disease, treat depression, and help prevent cancer.

Since krill oil has similar benefits to fish oil and few side effects, it is a good alternative to fish oil. Keep reading to learn more about krill oil’s health benefits and its comparison to fish oil.

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=518

2.Antarctic krill are one of the most abundant animal species, there are about 500 million tons of krill in the Southern Ocean.

3.Antarctic Krill are mainly herbivorous (they sometimes eat each other) feeding mostly on phytoplankton (microscopic suspended plants). They feed directly on phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that phytoplankton derive from the sun in order to sustain their open ocean life cycle. Some krill also eat zooplankton

4.They can turn the surface of the ocean pinkish-red.

5.There are 85 known species of krill. Krill is comprised of two families the largest of which is Euphausiidae which contains 20 different genra, the largest of which is the Euphausia. The other family of Krill is the Bentheuphausia ampblyops, which lives in the deep waters (below 3,330 feet) and are the most primitive species of krill.

Description

Does it have any special adaptations to help it survive?

Describe how it looks: size, shape, color, etc:

They have large black eyes, are mostly transparent, although their shells have a bright red tinge. Their digestive system is usually visible. Krill have a hard exoskeleton, many legs which they use to swim and eat, and a segmented body..

Actual Size: 2½ inches (or your pinky finger) and they weigh up to .07 ounces (2 grams).

Yes, krill travel in swarms primarily as a defense mechanism to confuse predators that would pick out single krill. In additional efforts to avoid predators, krill are found to spend their day at greater depths in the ocean and rise during the night toward the surface. It has also been found that the deeper they go in the water, the more their activity lessens, to reduce the probability of encounters with predators as well as conserve their energy.

Classification

Antarctic Krill: By Stephanie

Kingdom: Animal

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Euphausiacea; Dana, 1852

Family:Euphausiidae

Genus: Euphausia

Species: Euphausia superba

scientific name: Euphausiacea

How does it reproduce?

Lifespan of a Krill

Krill can release eggs multiple times per season, and the spawning season can last as long as 5 months. During the mating season, which varies by species and climate, the male deposits a sperm sack inside female krill. The females can carry several thousand eggs in their ovary, which may then account for as much as one third of the animal's body mass. The main spawning season of Antarctic Krill is from January to March, above the continental shelf. Female krill lay up to 10,000 eggs at a time, sometimes several times a season.

The eggs are spawned close to the surface and start sinking. In the open ocean they sink for about 10 days: the nauplii (baby krill) hatch at around 3000 m depth.

Antarctic krill can live up to 10 years, an amazing longevity for such a heavily hunted creature. They spend their days avoiding predators in the cold depths of the Antarctic Ocean, some 320 feet below the surface. During the night, they drift up the water column toward the surface in search of phytoplankton.