Deep Sea Creatures: Meet the Yeti Crab

Our partners at Mother Nature Network reported on this new find in 2012: This hairy crab is so unusual that a whole new family of animal had to be created to classify it. Its official name is Kiwa hirsuta, and even after a year of study scientists say there’s still much about it they don’t understand. The “hairy” pincers which give the crab its nickname contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents where it lives.