Slashdot Mirror
Yeti Crab Cultivates Bacteria On Claw, Then Eats Them
Pierre Bezukhov writes with some interesting news from the deep as reported in Nature: "In the deep ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, scientists have found a species of crab that cultivates gardens of bacteria on its claws, then eats them. ... 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. ... [Scientists believe] the crab waves its claws to actively farm its bacterial gardens: movements stir up the water around the bacteria, ensuring that fresh supplies of oxygen and sulphide wash over them and helping them to grow."
This has been on reddit for 2 days. Was wondering when someone would post it here.
Think about all those poor bacteria that it kills in order to feed itself. It should be more like the moral crabs that are scavenger, at least they eat what is already dead.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
This fellow has made delicious Yeti Crab bacteria gardens from cheese:
http://littlenummies.net/2009/02/y-is-for-yeti-crab/
I love reading about new, interesting species. Let's hope for the crabs that they have no commercial value...
-- Cheers!
I have met a girl once who did the same on her toe nails.
Sig? Heil
Significant discovery, because the crab does not use the sun or any sun light based organism to survive. It opens doors to complex life on watery moons and planets with mild water volcanism.
Think of all the possible crab alien that evolved into complex societies !
~epSos.de
I thought that was a sexually transmitted disease among abominable snowmen.
Richard Stallman should stop now that we know there is prior art.
Do the same by not washing their hands before lunch, I'm sure this way they get some extras on their meal.
First I can't go skiing, now I can't go snorkeling in the Caribbean. Next thing you know there are going to be Amish Corn Yeti wanting a piece of my hide. Forget "All your base are belong to us," it's going to be "All your asses are belonging to Yetis." :(
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
like-wringing-out-a-beard dept.
"In the deep basement off the coast of mom's house, scientists have found a species of neckbeard that cultivates gardens of bacteria on its facial hair, then eats them. ... The bristles that cover the neckbeard's facial hair and body are coated in gardens of symbiotic bacteria, which derive energy from Cheeto dust. The neckbeard eats the bacteria, using comb-like mouthparts to harvest them from its bristles."
Video of a lower life form engaging in the same behaviour.
There are so many amazing creatures in the ocean. The Pom Pom crab does something kind of similar, in that it actually carries around 2 anemones in it's claws and uses them to catch food with and to defend itself. It is not born with those anemones and actually has to find them. If it loses one it attempts to split the remaining one in two, something we still have trouble with. Very interesting creature!
Further reading -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lybia_edmondsoni
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+1474&pcatid=1474
http://www.aquariaworld.co.uk/invertebrates/boxer_crab.htm
Amazing! What will God think of next?
so this means it's adaptive behavior when I lick the spilled soup off my sleeve? ... I've said too much.
I do the same thing with my keyboard...
It's not quite ripe for feasting yet though.
They learned from the best!
From a Darwinian perspective the ultimate question is how these crabs, deep in the recesses of the ocean, achieved a level of tool-using self-feeding technology previously observed only in scab and nose picking human children?
Are these crabs that advanced, or are we humans more natural than our Bible-stories assert us?
Somehow, this strikes me as the crab equivalent of surviving by picking your nose.
They say animals have limited intelligence, yet for a crab to know to wave his hands up in the air like he just dont care because he knows it will get him better tasting bacteria...wow! Proof is in the pudding...