Crustacean Epibionts

A composite photograph of three of the crustaceans found living on olive ridley and green turtles in the Pacific.
(Eric Lazo-Wasem, Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University)

In a 2011 study published in the Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, researchers documented a number of different organisms living on olive ridley and green turtles in the Pacific. Of these "epibionts," crustaceans made up more than 40% of those observed. Some are depicted here: Planes major (A & B), Podocerus chelonophilus (C), and Balaenophilus manatorum (D). You can learn more about the study on the Ocean Portal blog.

Tags: Sea turtles