The giant sea spider or a pycnogonida, from the phylum chelicerata, was found in March 2008 along with the other 30,000 animals that were seen by the MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) on their deep sea trip. They are found mostly in the Arctic, Antarctic Oceans and Mediterranean and Caribben Seas and are distant relatives to land spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs. They mostly feed on soft-bodied invertebrates, like jelly fish and sea anemones, through a proboscis that sucks out all of the nutrients. Their bodies are so small that some of their digestive tract extends into their legs (4 to 6 on each side), including their sex organs. Even though their bodies are so small they can grow up to 20 inches long, which only comes from the length of their legs.
The discovery of the giant sea spider just came to fall into MBARI's laps while they were actually 
studying worms and other animals that grow on dead whale carcasses that sank to the bottom. There they found pom-pom anemone's that roll around the sea floor until the get stopped by a soild object, such as the whale carcass. Along with the pom-pom anemones was the giant sea spider that would gather around the anemones and remove a couple of their tentacles to eat. The pom-pom anemone is seen to be a renewable resource for the sea spider since their tentacles would grow back. Giant sea spiders also ate the small anemones whole, that attached themselves onto the whale bones.
studying worms and other animals that grow on dead whale carcasses that sank to the bottom. There they found pom-pom anemone's that roll around the sea floor until the get stopped by a soild object, such as the whale carcass. Along with the pom-pom anemones was the giant sea spider that would gather around the anemones and remove a couple of their tentacles to eat. The pom-pom anemone is seen to be a renewable resource for the sea spider since their tentacles would grow back. Giant sea spiders also ate the small anemones whole, that attached themselves onto the whale bones.Out of all the other arthropods, these are the only ones that exhibit parental care. Males have two modified appendages that are used to carry their eggs until they hatch. Their eggs are like atypical protonymphon larva that live in temporary homes untill they become adults and live freely. Once their offspring hatch they attach to their fathers ovigerous legs (they legs that carry the eggs), until they have become a young juvenile and have two to three pairs of walking legs.
This hateful giant sea spider, only because its a spider and has creepy long legs, is a loving care giver to its young and proves to be not so vicious as its land relatives.
Super creepy. They look so fragile! I wonder how they defend themselves.
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