This cluster of galatheid crabs was photographed crawling over the husks of dead tubeworms at a formerly active hydrothermal vent. These crabs are related to the famous “Yeti crab,” which was found in a deep-sea hydrothermal area in the Southern Pacific. Deep-sea hydrothermal vents typically remain active for a few years before dying out. When this happens, the tubeworms and most of the vent animals die out or leave the area.
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