UK SCIENTISTS HAVE uncovered a new crab species which they have dubbed ‘The Hoff’, for its excessively hairy chest.
Discovered living around the volcanic vents of the Southern Ocean floor, the new species was nicknamed in honour of the flocculent pecs of the US actor/singer/ironic gay icon David Hasselhoff.
The creature is a type of yeti crab, which uses the hairs covering its claws and limbs to trap bacteria which it then eats, the BBC reports. Professor Alex Rogers, who led the research cruise which uncovered the species, said that this variety of yeti crab differed from its better known cousins because it instead grew hairs (known at setae) on its underside.
Rogers said that the species lives in “staggering densities” around the vents, with as many as 600 individuals per square metre, reports Metro.co.uk. “These findings are yet more evidence of the precious diversity to be found in the world’s ocean,” he said.
Sadly, the name – though apt – may not stick for long as the crab species still needs to be formally classified. (Killjoys.)
COMMENTS (5)