Cyanagraea crabs are highly adapted to their inhospitable environment. Completely white in color from the lack of melanin in their bodies, they live up to 2600 meters (over 8500 feet) below the ocean surface.
They are the largest crabs in their family, roughly 123 by 75 mm; many deep sea creatures are similarly small to deal with the crushing pressure of miles of ocean.
These crabs live near black smoker chimneys, areas where the ocean floor has been ruptured to allow some of the heat from the core of Earth to come through. They are the top predator in this habitat, eating worms, clams, and mussels that live near the vent, as well as bacteria and other microorganisms when food is scarce.
Cyanagraea have an excellent sense of smell and their vision is comparable to that of night vision goggles. They are also excellent swimmers.
Juvenile crabs are more red in color, which quickly fades as they become adults.
These organisms are significant ecologically because they have evolved to deal with extremely high temperatures, high water acidity, and levels of metal and gas in the water that would be toxic to other creatures.
Energy metabolism: like other crabs, Cyanagraea consume food and use their stomach to grind it before sending it on to the intestines for absorption. Enzymes and other fluids extract nutrients and vitamins from the ground matter and absorb it into the bloodstream. They require a different set of nutrients because of their particular environment; dealing with excess sulfide and metal in the water means a very specific diet.
They are the largest crabs in their family, roughly 123 by 75 mm; many deep sea creatures are similarly small to deal with the crushing pressure of miles of ocean.
These crabs live near black smoker chimneys, areas where the ocean floor has been ruptured to allow some of the heat from the core of Earth to come through. They are the top predator in this habitat, eating worms, clams, and mussels that live near the vent, as well as bacteria and other microorganisms when food is scarce.
Cyanagraea have an excellent sense of smell and their vision is comparable to that of night vision goggles. They are also excellent swimmers.
Juvenile crabs are more red in color, which quickly fades as they become adults.
These organisms are significant ecologically because they have evolved to deal with extremely high temperatures, high water acidity, and levels of metal and gas in the water that would be toxic to other creatures.
Energy metabolism: like other crabs, Cyanagraea consume food and use their stomach to grind it before sending it on to the intestines for absorption. Enzymes and other fluids extract nutrients and vitamins from the ground matter and absorb it into the bloodstream. They require a different set of nutrients because of their particular environment; dealing with excess sulfide and metal in the water means a very specific diet.