The scientific community is deeply interested in this animal as its existence raises theories about how life survives, flourishes and expands through deep sea environments.
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It has been named Kiwa Tyleri after world-renowned British deep-sea and polar biologist Professor Paul Tyler from the University of Southampton. Thatje added that when they found the Yeti crab inside the hydrothermal vents, he knew he had discovered something special.
These are volcanic rock systems that draw water through cracks in the seafloor, super-heat it, load it with dissolved metals and other chemicals, and then eject it back into the ocean. Specialized bacteria can exploit this hot fluid in order to build an entire ecosystem and thrive with survival.
To survive this harsh surroundings, the people of the Kiwa Tyleri species cluster in teams that have been noticed to rely as a lot 700 crabs per sq. meter. Their luxurious setae allow the Hoff crab to not only grow its own bacteria, but also swipe up bacteria that grow on the vent chimneys. The top of the vent is the sweet spot for their food production.
It is, however, a careful balancing act.
These crabs are trapped in the vents as they are surrounded by the cold Antarctic climate from all the sides, as stated by the lead author of a paper that describes these crabs, from University of Southampton, Sven Thatje. And for this organism, that wouldn’t be survivable.
There has been a discovery of a warm-water species in one of the coldest places in the world, Antarctica. The crabs live about 8,500 feet (2,600 meters) below the icy surface of the Southern Ocean, making it hard for scientists to study these animals in their native environment. “And so Kiwa Tyleri is essentially trapped in this very narrow envelope”, said Dr. Thatje. “This is the fascinating aspect of this species”. The small creature, which leaves in large communities on the sea floor will now be known as Kiwa Tyleri.
Researchers have previously discovered three Yeti crabs, including Kiwa Tyleri. A couple of others are waiting to go through that process.
Kiwa Tylery holds a double record: it is the first species found in the Southern Ocean, largely uninhabitable for such crustaceans.
“Crabs and lobsters are very rare in Antarctic/Southern Ocean waters because of the unusually low seawater temperatures”, Thatje continues. Nonetheless, its smart adapting system pushed its habitat next to the hydrothermal vents of the region. Active vents can be relatively short-lived and the distances between individual sites may be considerable.
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