CREATURES OF THE VENTS

BRISTLE WORM

The deep-sea polychaete is also known as a bristle worm and can live in environments with huge temperature ranges, between 5 and 105 degrees Celsius. These worms can be found living in large colonies on the surfaces of vent chimneys.

YETI CRAB

These crabs are covered in bristles for bacteria to live on. These bacteria convert the inorganic gases that are released from the vents into the water into energy. The bacteria multiply on the crab and the crab survives off the bacteria it harvests.

SCALY-FOOT GASTROPOD

These snails can be found in hydrothermal vents at depths between 2,400 and 2,900 metres. They live near black smokers and use the iron released by these vents to produce hard protective shells.

VENT MUSSEL

Deep-sea mussels have giant gills, with surfaces 20 times larger than regular mussels. Billions of bacteria live on these gills. Some bacteria consume sulphide and oxygen to provide the mussels with carbon for energy.

DEEP-SEA SHRIMP

At the edges of some of the vents, groups of shrimps thrive in volcanic waters. The exoskeletons of deep-sea shrimp are more densely packed than those of shrimps nearer the surface.