Crustaceans
Yeti crab
Kiwa hirsuta
Harmless🌊 1500–2500 m📏 up to 15 cmIUCN status: Not evaluated
Discovered only in 2005 near Easter Island, this deep-sea crab literally farms bacteria on its hairy claws to feed on them.
🗺️ Geographic range
Hydrothermal vents of the South Pacific, discovered near Easter Island.
📊 Population
Discovered in 2005; no global population estimate is available for this hydrothermal-vent species.
Habitat
- Pacific Ocean · Hydrothermal vents · Bathypelagic zone · Permanent
Behaviour
- Diet
- Chemosynthetic bacteria cultivated on its bristles, which it filters and consumes.
- Hunting
- Waves its claws above hydrothermal vents to encourage bacterial growth.
- Reproduction
- Poorly documented.
Physiology
- Anatomy
- Claws and legs covered in filamentous bristles resembling fur.
- Adaptations
- Literally raises colonies of symbiotic bacteria on its own body, a unique form of microbial farming.
⚡ Its extraordinary abilities
- Literally farms bacteria on its own claws to feed on them
- Can form extremely dense aggregations, several hundred individuals per square metre
🏆 Records
One of the most significant crustacean discoveries of the 21st century
An entirely new species and genus for science upon its discovery in 2005.
Source: Ifremer
🧭 Historical expeditions
If you cross paths with this animal…
Risk: None: inaccessible without a submersible.
Behaviour: Gregarious near hot vents.
Advice: A recent scientific discovery (2005), still poorly understood.
💡 Did you know?
- Discovered only in 2005 near Easter Island, in the South Pacific.
- Its nickname "yeti crab" comes from its bristle-covered claws resembling fur.