December 02, 2011 Kiwa puravida, which is named after the common
Costa Rican saying 'pure life', was discovered in 2006 by Andrew
Thurber, a marine biologist now at Oregon State University,
during a probe of oceanic methane seeps. The crabs were observed
waving their claws over active seeps, which the researchers
believe expose bacteria on their claws to fresh supplies of
nutrients and oxygen. Nature News explains: 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... Thurber thinks
that K. puravida 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. The research is published this
week in PLoS ONE. CITATION: Thurber, A. R., Jones, W. J. &
Schnabel, K. PLoS ONE. 6, e26243 (2011)