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There's a fascinating trove of marine creatures that lie beneath the ocean waves, especially at greater depths.

A photo of two marine animals exploded on Twitter for looking like the real-life versions of cartoon characters Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star.

Now, another Twitter post featuring a marine creature has garnered much attention for similar reasons.

Looks like sushi

Aquamarine Fukushima, the largest aquarium in the Tohoku region, shared some photos of its new exhibit of deep-sea creatures.

Two small isopods can be seen in the photos.

Isopods, also known as “sea cockroaches”, are crustaceans like crabs and lobsters.

Since the tweet was posted on July 20, it has racked up over 21,400 likes.

未知の深海生物、白色のヒロメオキソコエビとウオノシラミ属の一種を展示を始めました。担当者はかわいくてしょうがないようで、「ほら、この角度いいでしょ！」とたくさん写真が送られてきますが、多くの職員の理解は得られず。。。#アクアマリンふくしま #深海生物 #親潮アイスボックス pic.twitter.com/sW12o3G2F4

— 【公式】アクアマリンふくしま (@aquamarinestaff) July 20, 2021

In particular, the isopod on the right amused hordes of netizens for its uncanny resemblance to salmon nigiri sushi.

Even the critter's carapace has a similar colouration.

Here's a picture of said sushi for comparison.

The aquarium wrote that the person in charge thought the sea creature is "too cute to resist".

"[He] sent many photos to his coworkers saying, 'Look, this angle is good right!' But many staff members couldn’t understand…"

Here's an edit of the original photo. You can barely tell the difference.

pic.twitter.com/wwcTW9ld3z

— ███ よぴさん ᴉɥ̛̦̣̈ṣ̛̦̈ṣ̛̦̈ợ̦̈ʎ̛̦̣̈ (元ヨッシー) (@SMGwpCQJU0TvJWE) July 20, 2021

Japanese Twitter users have also pointed out its likeness to ebi sushi, and have since taken to commenting that the isopod "looks delicious".

More about isopods

In response to the sudden spotlight on their isopod, the aquarium shared another video of the creature, though it appears to be quite sedentary.

The aquarium also emphasised that despite the lack of movement, what they had shared was a video and not a photo.

ご要望があったので、ウオノシラミ属の一種動画を撮影してみました。強調しますが、動画です。#アクアマリンふくしま　#深海生物 pic.twitter.com/61yDgnNEa8

— 【公式】アクアマリンふくしま (@aquamarinestaff) July 30, 2021

You might have heard of isopods before, in particular, the giant isopod.

These isopods can grow up to 33cm and are usually found at depths between 170m and over 2km in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

According to Japanese media Maidona News, the isopod at Aquamarine Fukushima is identified as belonging to the family Cymothoidae.

This group of isopods can be found in both marine and freshwater habitats, and are parasites.

Individuals attach themselves to fish and suck their blood. Some species in this group are also known as "tongue-biters" — they will enter through the gills and attach themselves to the fish's tongue, causing it to atrophy, and ultimately replace the tongue with its body.

Top photo from aquamarinestaff / Twitter and neko.ee