The yeti crab, Kiwa hirsuta, is a deep-sea hydrothermal vent species discovered by a marine biologist from the French institute IFREMER in 2005 near Easter Island. Living in the pitch-dark at around 7,200 feet deep, the crabs are completely blind. And as are many animals inhabiting this ecosystem, the yeti crab is pure white.
Like its namesake legend, the Abominable Snowman, the yeti crab has limbs that are covered in thick white hairs. These hairs are also covered in filamentous bacteria that give the crab an extraordinarily hairy appearance. In 2011, another species of yeti crab was discovered, and the role of these hairs became clearer. It appears that the crabs use their hairs as farmland for the filamentous bacteria that grow on them. They harvest and feed on these bacteria, and even wave their hairy arms in nutrient-rich vent seeps to fertilize their crop and increase their productivity.
Source: sport diver
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