Yeti Crabs Research Paper

How is life sustainable in volcanic vents under the ocean or 7,200 feet below sea level? As unlikely as it sounds, even today scientists are discovering new creatures that have adapted to survive in their extreme habitat. Animals are specially suited to live according to the conditions of their environment. Life under the sea is difficult making the adaptations of ocean dwellers vital to their continued existence. Invertebrates like squid, jellyfish, or crabs use their unique adaptations that provide protection, a food source, or advantageous physical structures to thrive in their ecosystem. For instance, there is a particularly large jellyfish found at about -1,000 meters that is fluorescent. This fluorescence can be used as a form of protection
Creatures in such situations have adapted methods that overcome this issue. Yeti crabs live in hydrothermal vents where the water temperature can very between freezing and 700˚F. This variation doesn’t promote life sustention, which limits food sources for the yeti crabs. The yeti crabs may able to survive because they feed off of the bacteria that grow on the fine hairs covering their bodies. “Scientists aren’t sure but conjecture that mineral-eating bacteria might grow on the crabs’ hairs and that the crabs might scoop up the bacteria.” (Bliss, ¶4, lines 21-23) Another organism eerily called the “zombie worm” is able to survive on the relatively sparse bottom of the ocean through its specially adapted acid. When marine mammals like whales die, their carcass eventually finds its way to the bottom of the ocean where it is picked apart by scavengers. The zombie worms takes advantage of the leftover bones by “drilling” into them using an acid, which allows them access to the entrapped nutrients. “A zombie worm attaches to a whale bone with special root-like structures. The skin cells of these structures produce an acid, which dissolves the bone…” (Ennis, ¶ 4, line 8-9) Each of these sea creatures has developed a way to provide for themselves in barren areas. Equally important is the advantageous physical structures seen in various sea creatures.
Through the miracle of either intelligent design or evolution these invertebrates have adapted a way to live comfortably in their respective ecosystem. The giant squid’s ink dispersal allows for a speedy escape from predators while the glowing jellyfish are able to intimidate their prospective attackers with a flash of color. Zombie worms use their chemical strategy to harvest hidden food sources while the yeti crabs harbor their meals on their own bodies. Lastly, the giant squid’s toothed suckers are a physical aspect of why they are such great hunters of fish and other invertebrates. Each adaptation is an important part of a creature’s survival, especially in extreme climates such as