Discovery of First Species of Yeti Crab in the Antarctica

Discovery of First Species of Yeti Crab in the Antarctica

Question: First species of Yeti crab has been discovered in the hydrothermal vent systems in the Antarctica by a group of British scientists. Provide the details of the discovery.

• A team of scientists from Britain have discovered the first species of Yeti crab from Antarctica’s hydrothermal vent systems

• This species has been named Kiwa Tyleri after deep sea and polar biologist professor Paul Tyler

• It belongs to an enigmatic group of squat lobsters referred to as Kiwadae

• This species is found at extremely high densities exceeding 700 specimens per sq metre

• The Yeti crab in Antarctica is trapped in warm water hydrothermal vent site by cold polar waters of deep sea

• Species has adapted to its limited habitat by residing in high packed densities and relying on bacterial growth on the setae for nutrition

• Crabs and lobsters characteristic of global oceans have low representation in polar seas

• Hydrothermal vent systems found in the Southern Ocean present a refuge to the Yeti crabs

• Antarctica Yetis cluster together more closely than the other two species- roughly 700 specimens per 11 square feet

• These crabs farm their own food

Facts and Stats

• Yeti crab is well known for its bristle or setae covered body giving it a fur like appearance

• This crab species appearance allows it to harvest dense bacterial mats overgrowing the surfaces of vent chimneys and it depends for food on chemosynthetic bacterial matter

• Clawed crustacean is from 15 cm to 0.5 cm in length and this is the only third known species of Yeti Crab

• The Yeti crab was first discovered in the South Pacific in 2005