An expedition to one of the deepest places on earth has discovered a species of huge crustacean that looks like a 28cm prawn.
Scientists scouring the waters of the Kermadec Trench, north of New Zealand, found the "supergiant" amphipods at a depth of 7km.
The team, made up of scientists from the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the University of Aberdeen in the UK, made the discovery when they deployed a camera in an attempt to recover specimens of deep-sea snailfish.
Voyage leader Alan Jamieson, from the University of Aberdeen, recalled: "At the moment the traps came on deck we were elated at the sight of the snailfish as we have been after these fish for years. However, seconds later I stopped and thought 'what on earth is that?' whilst catching a glimpse of an amphipod far bigger than I ever thought possible."
The specimens are the biggest amphipods caught and found at the deepest level.