Other favorite finds included rare mollusks, giant trilobite-like isopods and strange amphipods.

My name is Chandler Olson. I am a second year PhD student in the Kocot lab studying aplacophoran mollusks (Solenogastres). The goal of this expedition for my lab was to find Solenogastres. However, my personal goal was to see as many unique animals as possible. The Southern Ocean is home to high diversity of strange and interesting marine invertebrates and I wanted to see them all!
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Sampling is now over, the labs are packed up, and we are heading home. There won’t be opportunities to see many more animals. So, I’ve taken some time to tally up the totals and its official, I saw a lot of cool stuff! From the solenogasters we came for to octopus, sea pigs and penguins the amount of animals was amazing. A particular favorite of mine was a huge priapulid pulled up in one of the Blake trawls. These strange creatures have a spiky covered proboscis giving them the common name cactus worm. I was even able to place one in our observation tank and watch it burrow through the sediment!
 
Chandler Olson
University of Alabama