Yeti crabs: the charmers of the deep sea

The deep ocean is often considered the last frontier on Earth. There are other places humans haven't conquered or comprehended, but the ocean floor is the most difficult nut to crack. Down there in the dark, cold, high-pressure water, the wildlife hardly look like Earth natives at all.

The public isn't usually excited about new deep-sea discoveries. So scientists were surprised when the 2005 discovery of the yeti crab got so much attention. But this crustacean has been turning heads because, well, look at it.



The fluffy-looking hair is actually toothbrush-like bristles, but that hasn't stopped people from making their own yeti crab plush toys. A cute, fuzzy appearance is the holy grail of convincing humans to like you.

I think the coolest part of this crab is the function of those fuzzy limbs -- the bristles house symbiotic bacteria. Science isn't sure yet what purpose the bacteria serve the crab. It might be a farmed food source, a way to neutralize toxins in the water, or something else. But whatever the bacteria do is valuable enough that the crabs hold their arms over hot, nutrient-rich thermal vents in the sea floor to nurture bacteria colonies.

In a seemingly inhospitable place, two life forms live quietly together. If the crabs weren't acting on mere instinct -- if they could think about what they're doing when they hold their bristled arms over thermal vents -- what would they think? That they're preparing their farmed bacteria for a meal? That they're looking after their vital little friends? That they have no idea why they put their arms into thermal vents, it's just a ritual they must perform to survive?

This is why I look to nature for speculative fiction ideas. When humans bother to look into our world's crevices, we can find really thought-provoking things. They might even strike us as cute, if they're lucky.