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Video: Crab vs. methane vent

MBARI crab on Wetpixel

An ROV surveying methane vents at 4,130 ft as a part of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) project around Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, captured some amazing footage of a deep-sea crab “hunting” a vent. Crabs use vibrations to track prey, and it seems that this one mistook the venting methane for a potential meal. The methane at this depth is super-cooled, and hence stuck to the crab’s mouth and claws, before bubbling off harmlessly.