Animal of the Week - *Yeti Crab*

Credit for the photo to oceanleadership.org

Thought it would be a nice idea to do a quick bio on a different, crazy animal each Friday. Ok, mostly it's for the benefit of my nature crazy 3 year old, but who doesn't love to learn new things - especially if you've not come across a Yeti Crab before, or if you want to know their fancy name, Kiwa Hirsuta. 'Kiwa' being the goddess of shellfish in Polynesian mythology, and 'hursita' meaning 'hairy' in Latin.

This creepy looking dude was discovered by scientists in 2005 and he lives in some of the most extreme environments in the world. Unbeknownst to the researchers at the time, it was actually a brand new species.

The creatures live close to hydrothermal vents which are way down at the bottom of the ocean and spew boiling hot water to the icy sea above. Optimal temperatures for these crabs lie between 95 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit and this is why they live close to the mouths of hydrothermal vents. However, their lives become a delicate balancing act of not getting too close to the 715 degree water being fired from the vents, but not too far away so as to freeze to death.
There are massive amounts of pressure down in the depths where the Yeti Crab lives, and no light (sounds like paradise, eh).

The hair on its body is called setae and produces filamentous bacteria which the crab may use to detoxify poisonous minerals emitted from the vents where it lives. It also feeds on some of this bacteria but it widely thought to be a carnivore.

My daughter has decided that she loves this 'hairy spider fish' and would like one for her bedroom at home. Hope someone else gets as much enjoyment out of this little guy!