Like salamanders, frogs and toads these creatures are amphibious. If you didn’t know amphibious means that they are comfortable in and outside of the ocean. They can be found anywhere in the world and can be found at every part of the ocean. You can find them on the rocky shore to the deepest darkest parts of the sea. Crabs are a part of the decapod group deca means 10 legs other members of this group are lobsters,shrimp , and prawns. They all have 2 sets of claws that they use to crush or catch prey but the crabs also use them to fight and communicate to other crabs. World wide there are around 4,500 known types of crab. Crabs usually watch sideways but crabs like the spider crab can walk back and forth but that’s only because of their very large legs. Most crabs are omnivores meaning that they eat both plants and meat, because of this crabs are scavengers. The yeti crab is a very interesting and unappreciated creature.
Yeti crab
Scientific name: Kiwa hirsuta
photo credit: https://images.app.goo.gl/U8M3ZmTUmznZ3NsN6
The yeti crab lives in the deepest parts of the sea because it comes from the deepest part of the ocean it has adapted to have long white hairy like bristles on its claws. The bristles resemble hair because of the hair many nicknames have been created like yeti lobster and furry lobster. Many of the crabs have been found in the South Pacific Ocean. The deep sea has had a huge impact on the crab, the deep sea is completely black to adapt to this, the crab is completely white or grey and they are completely blind. The crab can live around 15 to 20 years in its natural habitat. They are quite large, they are around 6 inches and can weigh around 4 to 5 pounds depending on what they eat. They usually eat bacteria they grow on their hair like bristles and they also eat the occasional mussel. Their top predators are octopuses and large fish.
Extra facts:
There different types of yeti crabs but they have very small differences between each other.
The yeti crab is a very new creature discovery, they were first found in 2005.
The yeti crab is closely related to the hermit crab.
The water where the yeti crabs live is very warm at just 32C near the vents.
General crab sources: https://www.mba.ac.uk/fact-sheet-crabs
Yeti crab source: https://factanimal.com/yeti-crab/
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