Kiwa hirsuta

This crab looks like it has fur.

It lives deep in the ocean. It lives near hot water. It lives south of Easter Island.

The crab has hair on its legs. Tiny living things grow in the hair. The crab eats these tiny things for food.

The crab has very small eyes. It cannot see well. It is likely blind.

Mother crabs carry their eggs. They keep them safe until they hatch. This is a very special crab.

In 2005, scientists found a strange new animal. It lives deep in the South Pacific Ocean. This creature is a squat lobster. People call it the yeti crab. It gets its name from the silky hair on its legs. These hairs are called setae.

The yeti crab lives near hydrothermal vents. These are spots on the ocean floor that let out hot water. The water has poisonous minerals in it. The crab uses its hairy arms to help. Tiny living things called bacteria grow on the hairs. The crab may use these bacteria to clean the water. This helps the crab stay safe.

The crab also eats these bacteria. This is its main source of food. This way of getting food is called chemosynthesis. The crab has very small eyes. It has no color in its eyes. Most scientists think the crab is blind.

Mother crabs are very good parents. They carry their eggs on their bellies. The eggs stay attached to the hairs. The mother cares for them until they hatch. This is a very special way to raise young.

The yeti crab is a very strange creature. It lives deep in the South Pacific Ocean. Scientists call its scientific name Kiwa hirsuta. This animal is actually a squat lobster. It is more like a crab than a true lobster. People call it a yeti crab because of its hair. It has silky blond hair on its legs and claws. These hairs are called setae.

This crab lives near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. These vents release hot water into the deep sea. The water contains many poisonous minerals. The yeti crab uses its hairy arms to help. Tiny living things called bacteria grow on the setae. This process is called chemosynthesis. The bacteria may help clean the water from toxins. This helps the crab live in a hard place.

Researchers found this animal in March 2005. A group of scientists led the search. Robert Vrijenhoek worked with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Michel Segonzac worked with the Ifremer. They used a submarine called DSV Alvin. They traveled on a ship named RV Atlantis. The discovery was announced on 7 March 2006. They found the crabs south of Easter Island.

The yeti crab belongs to a new family called Kiwaidae. The name Kiwa comes from a Polynesian goddess. The name hirsuta is Latin for hairy. Scientists found another species called Kiwa puravida in 2006. That second species was described in 2011. The yeti crab has very small eyes. These eyes have no color at all. Most scientists believe the crab is blind.

Mother crabs have a special way of raising young. They carry their eggs on their bellies. The eggs stay attached to the setae. The female cares for them until they hatch into larvae. This is a very special way to be a parent. Scientists study the crab's genome to learn more. They want to know how it lives in the dark. They also study how to protect its home from deep-sea mining.

The yeti crab is a unique crustacean found in the deep ocean. Its scientific name is Kiwa hirsuta. This animal is actually a squat lobster. It is more closely related to crabs and hermit crabs than to true lobsters. Scientists often call it a "yeti crab" or a "furry lobster." This name comes from the silky blond setae that cover its body. Setae are hair-like structures found on its pereiopods, which are its thoracic legs and claws.

These crabs live in a very extreme environment. They reside near hydrothermal vents in the South Pacific Ocean. These vents are located along the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. They are found south of Easter Island at great depths. Hydrothermal vents release hot water into the deep sea. This water contains many minerals that can be poisonous. The yeti crab has adapted to live in this high-temperature, chemically rich habitat.

To survive, the yeti crab uses a fascinating biological process. It grows bacteria on its hairy setae. These bacteria are known as episymbiotic bacteria. Specifically, the crab farms ε- and γ-proteobacteria. These bacteria are closely related to other organisms found near vents. The bacteria use chemosynthesis to create energy. This process involves enzymes that help with the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and sulfite oxidation. These enzymes are critical for carbon fixation and sulfur cycling.

The crab uses these bacteria as its primary food source. It may also act as a carnivore. However, most evidence suggests it relies on the bacteria growing on its body. The crab uses its setae to collect toxins from the vent water. This may help detoxify the minerals in its environment. One species, Kiwa puravida, has even more specialized setae. It has modified hairs on its 3rd maxilliped, which is a mouth appendage. It uses these hairs to harvest the bacteria.

The discovery of Kiwa hirsuta happened in March 2005. A scientific group led the expedition. This group included Robert Vrijenhoek from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Michel Segonzac from Ifremer also participated. They used a submarine named DSV Alvin. The submarine operated from a research vessel called RV Atlantis. The discovery was officially announced on 7 March 2006. This find led to the creation of a new biological family called Kiwaidae.

Researchers have found more about this family since the first discovery. A second species, Kiwa puravida, was found in 2006. Scientists described this second species in 2011. The name "Kiwa" comes from a goddess of shellfish in Polynesian mythology. The name "hirsuta" is a Latin word meaning "hairy." The yeti crab has very little vision. It has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment. Because of this, scientists believe the crab is blind.

Female yeti crabs have a unique way of raising their young. Most deep-sea organisms do not show this level of care. The females carry their eggs in a specialized brooding structure on their abdomen. The eggs stay attached to the setae. The mother protects the eggs until they hatch into larvae. This reproductive strategy helps ensure the survival of the next generation.

Scientists continue to study these crabs to protect them. They look at the crab's genome to understand its evolution. They want to know how it adapted to low-light conditions. They also study population dynamics to learn about growth rates. This research is important because of human activities. Deep-sea mining could threaten the hydrothermal vent ecosystems. Protecting these habitats is vital for the survival of the Kiwaidae family.