This is the yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta). Only discovered in 2005, the - TopicsExpress



          

This is the yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta). Only discovered in 2005, the yeti crab lives in the South Pacific Ocean and grows to around 15cm long. Discovered at a depth of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft), it lives on hydrothermal vents. Based on both morphology and molecular data, the organism was deemed to form a new biological family, which was named Kiwaidae. A second species in the family was described in 2011. The hairy claws of the yeti crab contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to convert carbon molecules emitted by the hydrothermal vents into nutrients. This is a process known as chemosynthesis. It may also consume bacteria.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 12:40:37 +0000

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