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IPFS News Link • Biology, Botany and Zoology

New Species: Hairy-Chested Yeti Crab Found in Antarctica

• By Jason Bittel

It's white. It's hairy. It's elusive. It's a yeti … crab. Meet Kiwa tyleri, the newest member of the yeti crab family and the first to be found in the cold waters off Antarctica.

Unlike its Abominable Snowman namesake, this clawed crustacean ranges in length from half a foot (15 centimeters) to under an inch (0.5 centimeter). It's only the third known species of yeti crab, a group of shaggy-armed creatures first discovered in the South Pacific in 2005. (Related picture: "'Yeti Crab' Discovered in Deep Pacific.")

In search of the new yeti, in 2010 scientists piloted a remotely operated vehicle to the hydrothermal vents of East Scotia Ridge, more than 8,500 feet (2,600 meters) deep.


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