'Funamushi no Herohero'

What's that?

'Funamushi no herohero...'
Ashinano, Hitoshi. 1997. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Chapter 24. Vol. 4, Page 10, Panel 3.

A 'funamushi' is a kind of terrestrial isopod found at beach. It is called "sea slater", "rock roach", "sea louse", and so on. It is also called Ligia Exotica.

Well then, what is 'herohero'? It sounds weak, wobbling, or unstable.

Makki and Takahiro seemed to describe the way that a 'funamushi' swims as 'herohero'. So, let's see how it swims. Enjoy!

Movies

[play video] Windows Media, 121 Kbps

[play video] Windows Media, 127 Kbps

[play video] Windows Media, 127 Kbps

[play video] Windows Media, 127 Kbps

[play video] Windows Media, 127 Kbps

Not all funamushi are active in the water like those shown above. Some just sink into the abyss. On the other hand they all are quite active on the land. It was hard to catch them.

Conclusion

The wiggle-wobble action seems to be described as 'herohero'.

Now it's your turn. Go to the beach. Catch a bagful of funamushi. And throw them into the sea. Let me know if you take any pictures or video. Remember, "Leave no stone unturned".

Links

Ligia Homeshore by Akira Sakurai

You can be a funamushi breeder.

Ligia exotica, Introduced Marine Species by Hawaii Biological Survey, Bishop Museum

Find out more about funamushi.

Schooling Behavior of the isopoda, Ligia exotica by Yuji Hirose

You can watch another movie of a lot of funamushi. Visit the link and click on the picture. QuickTime required.

Acknowledgement

Yang Laoban helped me find out what 'herohero' is.

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