Zach's Crustacean Corner

Hello everyone! My name is Zachary Strebeck and I am a graduate student in Dr Tammy Frank’s deep-sea crustacean lab. I have spent a large amount of time identifying different deep-sea shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico down to species level!

Photo:  Zach; Photo credit: Savannah Strebeck

While I may have spent a lot of time with all the different kinds that the gulf has to offer, my focus is dealing with a shrimp family called Benthesicymidae. The name may seem intimidating, but they are simply a species that typically is found between 800-1200 meters and is a large consumer of the organic debris that sinks in the ocean, called marine snow.

Photo:  Deep sea shrimp

               I have the amazing opportunity to be on my first research cruise out here with the DEEPEND crew and I am having a wonderful time!! We have seen all sorts of cool specimens in our nets already, with much more to come and I am excited to see what other secrets the deep has to offer. Here are just a few of the critters we have pulled up so far!!

Photo:  Cystisoma (deep sea amphipod); small octopus

               Speaking of it being my first cruise, we successfully outran hurricane Francine! Talk about throwing me in headfirst to see how I handle rough seas. In any case, I am having a blast and can’t wait to see what shenanigans the upcoming days are to be filled with!