THE YETI CRAB

The Yeti Crab, more formally known as the Kiwa Hirsuta, was discovered in 2005 by one Michel Segonzac, a Census of  Marine Life scientist, on an exploration of a hydrothermal vent. The hairy sea-dweller represents not only a new species, but also a new family of crustaceans. This "Yeti Crab" had not been previously incountered in more than thirty years of hydrothermal vent exploration. At first, they thought it was a decapod crustacean, a cross betyween a shrimp, crab, and lobster. But when it was more closely observed, however, they fornd that it's lack of eyes and hairlike setae, as well as it's genetic code, didn't fall within the boundaries of the three groups. This led to construction of a new family, Kiwaidae, named after Kiwa, the polynesian goddess of shellfish. The Yeti Crab is a very mysterious and complex animal, so I hope you enjoy learning about it! -Ellen Landrum