Description

Unusuropode castroi Duarte (Santos, 1962)
Cretaceous
Gara Sbaa Member, Akrabou Formation
Gara Sbaa, Morocco

Undescribed 11mm negative marine isopod

Crustacean,

Isopods belong to an order of crustaceans that dates back to the Carboniferous Period – first-known from the Mazon Creek fauna.  They are quite uncommon overall in the fossil record.  Biologists have studied modern ones the size of a lobster that were collected from great ocean depths but most are small like the “pill bugs” you can find in your own backyard. Compare to the picture of the living marine isopod to get an idea what this monster looked like.