Kiwa hirsuta is an eyeless crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae covering its pereiopods. Its discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab". The Yeti Crab can grow to be 5 or 6 inches long, and can weigh anywhere from 2 to ~5 pounds. Depths away from the furry legend of the Himalayas, the Yeti crab is a crustacean that dwells in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, at depths of thousands of feet. The crustaceans were found near the Pacific-Antarctic ridge, south of Easter Island, along hydrothermal vents. The bristles that cover the crab's claws and body are coated in gardens of symbiotic bacteria, which derive energy from the inorganic gases of the seeps. The crab eats the bacteria, using comb-like mouthparts to harvest them from its bristles. The yeti crab does not seem to have many predators in its natural environment; it's thought that some deep-sea octopuses and fish may find them quite edible. Unlike many other crustaceans, the females of this species carry their eggs in a specialized brooding structure on their abdomen. The eggs are attached to setae, and the female cares for them until they hatch into larvae. This method of parental care is distinctive among deep-sea organisms. This crab has is suspected to have an average lifespan of around 10-20 years. Since this species was discovered so recently research is still ongoing and we don't really know all that much about this wonderful creature.
