Meganyctiphanes_norvegica Meganyctiphanes_norvegica

Meganyctiphanes norvegica - Definition

Northern Krill

Photo by Uwe Kils
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Subphylum:Crustacea
Class:Malacostraca
Order:Euphausiacea
Family:Euphausiidae
Genus:Meganyctiphanes
Species:M. norvegica
Binomial name
Meganyctiphanes norvegica


Northern Krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) is a crustacean that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the zooplankton. It is an euphausid [1] (http://www.biosis.org.uk/zrdocs/zoolinfo/grp_crus.htm#Euphausiacea) and a very important component of the plankton of the ocean, food for whales, penguins, fish and birds. The gut is shining through in red, an indication that this species feeds predominantly on copepods. In the Southern Ocean the Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba fills a similar role.

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