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created about 1 year ago | Tagged: |
Winky Dink
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Every day, new species of fish, flora and fauna are discovered that open a tiny window into the grand secrets of our vast and dynamic universe. In the late 1970s, marine biologists discovered the phenomenon known as deep sea hydrothermal vents, hidden in the Indian Ocean, far off the southeastern African coast.
These vents form near mid-ocean ridges as the result of volcanic activity occurring below the sea floor. Emitting hot lava, which causes the Earth’s crust to split apart, this liquid creates a harsh environment inimical to marine life. The vents also carry minerals rich in sulfur and other metals. In an amazing exercise of the human principle of “life giving you lemons and making lemonade,” specialized bacteria live off these metal-rich fluids, and a variety of deep-sea animals have found ways to incorporate the bacteria within their own bodies, gaining nutrition and sustenance. One such creature is the yeti crab
First discovered a few years back, the animal is named after the elusive monster said to eternally haunt the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. Its legs are covered with long pale-yellow hairs, making it an unusual sight to behold, to say the very least
