What specialized structures on the Yeti Crab's claws are used for cultivating food?
Specialized structures called setae hosting bacterial colonies
The dense, furry bristles covering the Yeti Crab’s claws and body are not simple hairs for insulation; they are specialized structures referred to as setae. These setae serve a critical ecological function: they host massive colonies of chemoautotrophic bacteria. Because the Yeti Crab lives near deep-sea hydrothermal vents where sunlight is absent and photosynthesis is impossible, the entire local food web depends on chemosynthesis—bacteria converting chemical energy into organic matter. The crab effectively 'farms' these bacteria directly on its specialized appendages and then scrapes them off as its primary food source, illustrating a highly specialized adaptation toward agriculture rather than typical predation.
