Yeti Crab Cultivates Bacteria On Claw, Then Eats Them 49
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."
Re:Stolen (Score:5, Funny)
You mean this isn't an original piece from one of Slashdot's crack team of reporters?!
Re:Stolen (Score:4, Insightful)
You could have posted it yourself you know. Judging by the name I guess reddit is for people who view news stories like Pokemon ("gotta read em all!", "I read more random stories than you!"). Slashdot is fun because of the comments, not just the articles.
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Another good option is you could stop being such a whiny little bitch.
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Other species are already known to do this ... (Score:4, Funny)
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Yeah, they should name the crab "Kiwa hirsuta stallmanensis" in his honor.
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I'm not normally squeamish, but that made me sick. I didn't actually wait until he put it in his mouth - I had to close the tab.
It could be the next goatse.
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It can't be the next goatse. The whole point of goatse is that you click on the link and immediately OMG WTF AAARGH and smash on the keyboard to close it, but it's too late because it's now burned on your retina - forever.
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In RMS' defense, if I had to listen to that bloviating twerp, I might be willing to do anything to distract myself.
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This crab was discovered 6 years ago anyway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeti_crab), not exactly news by the time it's made its way through Nature's editors and such.
Think about all those poor bacteria! (Score:5, Funny)
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Someone's crabby...
Re:Think about all those poor bacteria! (Score:5, Funny)
oh, like bacteria are blameless. They're lazy. They should be out looking for real jobs, not surviving on hand outs from the crabs.
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oh, like bacteria are blameless. They're lazy. They should be out looking for real jobs, not surviving on hand outs from the crabs.
Wait for the claw backs.
Re:Think about all those poor bacteria! (Score:5, Funny)
I guess it could be called Occupy Crab Claw.
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We're bred to be a tasty treat
with the taste that can't be beat
but while you're breding that tasty treat
you're breding yourself
to eat that treat.
Burma shave
Yeti Crab recipes (Score:3)
This fellow has made delicious Yeti Crab bacteria gardens from cheese:
http://littlenummies.net/2009/02/y-is-for-yeti-crab/ [littlenummies.net]
Nature is brilliant (Score:3)
I love reading about new, interesting species. Let's hope for the crabs that they have no commercial value...
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Brilliant? No, it's just organisms desperate to survive and doing whatever it takes, even if it means eating crap off their own bodies.
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QI - Why it took 300 years to give the Giant Tortoise a scientific name. Hilarious. [youtube.com]
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I love reading about new, interesting species. Let's hope for the crabs that they have no commercial value...
Ugh - talk about "wash thoroughly before eating"...
If you think that's disgusting. (Score:1)
I have met a girl once who did the same on her toe nails.
Significant Discovery (Score:3, Insightful)
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
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Zoidberg? Is that you?
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People have already suggested the same thing based on hydrothermal vent [wikipedia.org] ecosystems. It would be awesome to find similarly based life on Enceladus [wikipedia.org].
Yeti crabs? (Score:5, Funny)
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In fact, I know some people who... (Score:2, Funny)
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Wonderful, they're all over (Score:3)
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." :(
New Species of Basement Dweller discovered (Score:4, Funny)
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."
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Let me guess, you discovered this species in the mirror.
The ocean is amazing. (Score:5, Interesting)
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
Gross (Score:3)
Somehow, this strikes me as the crab equivalent of surviving by picking your nose.
Intelligence (Score:2)
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...