Unidentified creature showing up in Russian ponds and ditches

it could be an evolved form of a horshoe crab. there needs to be better footage of this creature. does anyone know what type of species its being declared?

That is one fugly looking critter. We have not had the technology to really adequately explore the oceans.
Poke it with a stick! We are such evolved life forms.

I almost thought it was fake!

It looks like a trilobite.

It is a bit odd... It does appear to be a decent size on the video however it is difficult to tell since there does not appear to be any size markers/references. The video is also grainy making the anatomy difficult to make out. Considering the size I would have to say is it Limulus AKA the horseshoe crab, possibly one that has recently shed its shell, which arthropods have to do on occasion (that is the problem with having an external skeleton). Here is what I can make out from the video...

The underside (ventrum) there are a set of what appear to be “book gills” a less developed version of the “book lungs” spiders have. Truthfully it appears to be a horseshoe crab due to the separation of its body into the three divisions seen in the horseshoe crab- prosoma , opisthosoma, and the telson. The telson is considered to be the tail of the organism and in Limulus (otherwise known as a horseshoe crab) it is a hard and covered by a spiny shell while in this animal it appears to be fleshy. The prosoma and opisthosoma appear to have a shell but even these appear “softer” in the video than a typical Limulus. I counted what I thought were 6 legs, again consistent with Limulus.

The problem is Limulus is a oceanic species and this was found in fresh water, although if it is as big or even ½ as big as they say then that precludes it from being a member of the Notostraca ie either Triops spp or Lepidurus spp. which never get more than a few inches and the thing in the pic definitely seems larger than a few inches! Also making it unlikely to be a member of Notostraca is that the animal in the photo lacks both a long first thoracopod which should be large and visible at the cranial aspect of the animal and the animal in the video has one solid tail which does not split into the caudal furca typically seen in Notostraca species. Also I don’t believe Notostraca has book gills and they have more segments with legs on each segment which this animal does not appear to have.

If I had to pin it on one thing I would say it is a Limulus that recently shed, and it was probably not found in fresh water. If you can try to get a small specimen any part of the animal would do and simple DNA testing could tell you if it is either one of these 2 species, which any marine research lab could perform. If what they are saying is correct then there are more of them right...

Pretty cool though! I would love to see one, more pics of them, or a sample of a dead one!

Dr. T

reply to post by CaptGizmo



Whao that things alive!
let this be a lesson folks!I would have to say if it wasn't for that fact its moving around I would be thinking it was a hollywood prop for the movie ALIENS eheh. C'mon admit you guys would be calling hoax as sure as the popes catholic!That thing is dead on a juvenile xeno from those flicks.Freaky stuff man I hope we don't hear of someones chest exploded next and one of these puppies stick'n his nasty lil head out with a shrill screeetch!All metal toof-a-mus and stuff...whew scary!

reply to post by kupoliveson


i've never heard anyone say i haven't a clue more authoritatively.

only kidding, that was a great post. you get a star from me.

so it really isn't something commonly known if they're telling the truth about the circumstances it was found in? whatever it is, it makes me feel itchy, horrible looking thing.

reply to post by pieman


Thanks! We got a bunch of horseshoe crabs a few months ago when a lot were dying at the aquarium due to fungal infections in thier shell. No one has ever responded to my posts before. Thanks again my first star!

Looks to me like it could be some form of Skate, perhaps a guitarfish throwoff. The video seems to depict it primarily upside-down. Excellent find! I realize that this was found in freshwater, but wanted to relay some of my own seawater experiences. Here, we go after lobsters (in season) at night, when they're out foraging/scavenging. I have seen some pretty weird things that I haven't been able to find in the four "Carribean creatures" books. Strange, jerking, gyrating things. Ask the locals "what the H*lll IS that???" The answer is always the same. "We don't eat him." Gee, ya think???

Maybe as all the frozen tundra is melting these things are coming out of being snap frozen thousands of years ago! We could see some very interesting life forms emerge as this melt continues, and would explain why they found in fresh water.

its a freaking FACE HUGGER!!!


RUNNNNNN!


seriously though... I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing larger and larger creatures near radioactive waste sites. (and places where we've unbeknowingly let radioactive waste leak to)

not to say that was near Chernobyl.. Russia's a damn big place.

-

Well, I don't think I can say what it is really, but I can say there have been others. The story in this link claim it to be 5 feet long but I think about 1-1 1/2 feet would be an ok estimate. yay for gross looking animals!

reply to post by dunwichwitch



Bingo. You are correct.

I find it very cool that these exist in such numbers!
Kind of opens the mind to what else is out there that we currently have been led to believe is extinct.

Excellent! I want one too!