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A hairy-clawed "yeti crab".
London - How did the crab gets its hairy chest? It sounds like a parody of one of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, but it is a genuine question that scientists are seeking to answer.
A team of researchers from Oxford University’s Department of Zoology have uncovered a new species of hairy-chested crab on the ocean floor. The team found the crabs more than one-and-a-half miles beneath the surface of the Southern Pacific, near Antarctica.
Until the crustacean can be officially classified, the scientists have nicknamed it “The Hoff” in honour of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, who is famed for his hairy torso.
It is a type of yeti crab, distinguished by the silky bristles covering their legs and claws.
But “The Hoffs” are the first yeti crabs to have fur covering their underside, or ‘breast’ area. Professor Alex Rogers, who led the research cruise, said the zoologists found the creatures packed together - up to 600 per square metre. They gather around a vent in the volcanic rock where hot water gushes out at temperatures of up to 400c. - Daily Mail
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