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How does a tiny crustacean feed the largest animals in the world?

Imagine a tiny pink crustacean, 6 centimeters long — like your little finger. Transparent, with big black eyes, it looks like a small shrimp. It's an Antarctic krill. It would seem like nothing special. But in fact — without it, the entire ocean would disappear!

Krill live in huge flocks in the waters of Antarctica. There can be up to 30,000 crustaceans in one cubic meter of water! And the total weight of all the krill in the Southern Ocean is 500 million tons. That's more than the weight of all the people on the planet combined! The flocks of krill are so huge that they can be seen from space - like red spots in the middle of the blue ocean.

Who eats it? Almost everyone! Blue whales — the largest animals in the history of the Earth — eat only krill. One whale eats up to 4 tons of krill per day. Imagine: the largest creature feeds on the smallest. Penguins, seals, leopard seals, fish, squid, seabirds also adore krill. Without krill, this chain would immediately break.

But how does a small crustacean manage to give birth in such large numbers? The female lays up to 10,000 eggs at a time! Krill glow at night - there are special organs on its body that emit a blue glow. A flock of krill at night looks like a real underwater fireworks display.

When you're snacking on something small—a seed, a berry, a grain—remember: small things sometimes hold whole worlds. Krill is the best proof that size matters much less than your role in life.