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Yeti Crab | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Yeti Crab

Kiwa hirsuta

MalacostracaDeep-sea hydrothermal vents on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, around 2,200 metres depth

Field profile

The yeti crab is a pale, blind squat lobster discovered in 2005 at deep-sea vents. Its claws and legs are covered in dense filamentous setae that host bacteria. It is the type species of a family, Kiwaidae, erected specifically for the group.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-03-15

Yeti Crab

The yeti crab farms bacteria on its arms

The yeti crab's hairy claws are not decoration. The setae carry dense mats of chemosynthetic bacteria, and a related species has been filmed waving its claws over vent fluid in what appears to be deliberate cultivation before the crab eats the crop.

Read with evidence →