Pantopod sea spiders (Pycnogonida) – the main thing is legs!

Pantopods are the so-called sea spiders that live in almost all seas and depths of the world ocean. Creatures, to put it mildly, unusual and even frightening Sea spiders, more than 1000 species are known and new ones are constantly being discovered. The length of their bodies varies from a tiny 1 mm., to 7 cm., and the span of the legs reaches 50 cm.! The number of legs can reach 14!
With such a span of legs and overall appearance, he is able to scare a lot, but not scare. Well, just because large species usually live at great depths. Constantly studying new abysses of the ocean, scientists meet these creatures, even if the depth reaches far more than one kilometer. In general, the legs of these spiders are so important to them that it is difficult to imagine. They have digestive, respiratory, and genitals located in their legs. Even the "priest" is on their feet. Yes, it is clear where all this will go if the legs are dozens of times larger than a tiny calf! Everything fits there. Sea spiders are predators. They feed on every little thing that can't escape from a spider dragging its legs. Protozoa, crustaceans, mollusks, mosses, holothurias and other delicacies are suitable for food. He grabs them either with his tube-shaped mouth-proboscis, or helps with claws, if any. Not all pantopod species have claws. Some have legs instead with two simple appendages for grasping, and some have nothing grasping except a mouth. In general, all the species of these arthropods are very different from each other. Some have 4 simple eyes, 2 of which look forward and 2 backward. Someone has almost no eyes, there are only eye bumps that still feel something there, and some spiders are completely blind and rely only on pedipalps (the first or second pair of legs). It is clear that the deeper a comrade lives, the worse he sees. Although, all sea spiders that have eyes see poorly, at the light-shadow level.

And yet, these animals can parasitize or create symbiotic relationships. It is not always clear where parasitism ends and symbiosis begins in these spiders with other organisms.

The mating process of pantopods is unusual. The female wears caviar, guess where... yes, on her feet, where else. The male rolls his... also on his feet, to her feet and fertilizes the eggs. The fertilized offspring, the male takes for himself and carries ... you'll never guess where, on his feet! There, the spiders are attached to their father with the help of a web, but adults can no longer produce a web. After several molts, the youngsters acquire some legs and dump, and after new molts, they gradually have new legs. Well, since the legs are so important for these creatures, so they should be protected with triple strength. It is necessary, but this is not the way of pantopods, there is a better option. If a leg has fallen off for some reason, it is usually opened by predators, it's not strange, and God help it, a new one grows in its place and that's all. And sea spiders have enemies, crustaceans and fish are not averse to eating pantopods, especially when it comes to great depths, where the choice of food is not great.