Spineless creature studied in DC swamp

Its name is Stygobromus hayi, the Hay’s Spring amphipod. It is spineless. It lacks vision. It is an opportunistic feeder, consuming whatever resources are available — perhaps including the remains of its own kind. That is where its similarities to some of Washington, D.C.’s more notorious megafauna end. Researchers report on a way to survey it without threatening its existence, as other studies had done.