Hairy Chested Yeti Crab
The hairy chested yeti crab and sometimes known as the Hoff crab after David Hasselhoff, Kiwa tyleri, (Bittel) belong to a group called squat crabs are extraordinary creatures for different reasons. Some including their outer appearance and the way they live in the climates where most other crabs or lobsters couldn’t survive. The white hair body and the spikes on its legs have been due to it adapting to its habitat and climate. (Palermo) Its living conditions are very odd compared to those of other species, considering they live in the waters off of Antarctica, just above freezing temperatures.
The yeti crab is a hairy white colored crab that can be as large as a half of foot in length and as small as .5 centimeters. These creatures are identifiable by their shape and the white hair it has formed around its body that are actually bristles called setae. (EarthSky) Because they live so deep in the waters off of Antarctica, they get no sunlight. So having the bristles on their bodies is how to the crabs have adapted to their environment. The bristles the grow on them are used for a food source to the crab because their favorite food grows on them, bacteria. Having the bacteria grow on them is basically having their own personal garden wherever they go. Along with the bacteria growing on the bristles, the bristles are also used to pick up bacteria from around the …show more content…
These hydrothermal vents, sometimes called “black smokers” because they secrete dark water, but most importantly the water that comes from these vents reach a temperature of about 720 degrees Fahrenheit. The mix of the very high and very low temperature waters make it the best place for these crabs can live. They cannot survive long outside of their “thermal envelope” because they can freeze to death.
The hairy chested yeti crab and sometimes known as the Hoff crab after David Hasselhoff, Kiwa tyleri, (Bittel) belong to a group called squat crabs are extraordinary creatures for different reasons. Some including their outer appearance and the way they live in the climates where most other crabs or lobsters couldn’t survive. The white hair body and the spikes on its legs have been due to it adapting to its habitat and climate. (Palermo) Its living conditions are very odd compared to those of other species, considering they live in the waters off of Antarctica, just above freezing temperatures.
The yeti crab is a hairy white colored crab that can be as large as a half of foot in length and as small as .5 centimeters. These creatures are identifiable by their shape and the white hair it has formed around its body that are actually bristles called setae. (EarthSky) Because they live so deep in the waters off of Antarctica, they get no sunlight. So having the bristles on their bodies is how to the crabs have adapted to their environment. The bristles the grow on them are used for a food source to the crab because their favorite food grows on them, bacteria. Having the bacteria grow on them is basically having their own personal garden wherever they go. Along with the bacteria growing on the bristles, the bristles are also used to pick up bacteria from around the …show more content…
These hydrothermal vents, sometimes called “black smokers” because they secrete dark water, but most importantly the water that comes from these vents reach a temperature of about 720 degrees Fahrenheit. The mix of the very high and very low temperature waters make it the best place for these crabs can live. They cannot survive long outside of their “thermal envelope” because they can freeze to death.