Head to head
Squat Lobster vs Yeti Crab
The squat lobster and yeti crab are both crustaceans whose common names are somewhat misleading, and both can be found around deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
| Squat Lobster | Yeti Crab | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Galatheoidea | Kiwa hirsuta |
| True relationship | Closer to hermit crabs | Its own distinct family |
| Habitat range | Shallow reefs to deep vents | Hydrothermal vents only |
| Feeding strategy | Scavenging, filtering, opportunistic | Farms bacteria on its own bristles |
| Year discovered | Long known to science | 2005 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Population trend | Stable | Unknown |
| Habitat | Ocean | Ocean |
Squat Lobster vs Yeti Crab: common questions
Is the squat lobster a true lobster like the yeti crab is a true crab?
Neither is a true member of the group its name suggests, the squat lobster is more closely related to hermit crabs than true lobsters, while the yeti crab belongs to its own distinct family separate from true crabs.
How does the yeti crab get its food compared to the squat lobster?
The yeti crab farms colonies of bacteria on the dense bristles covering its claws, harvesting them with specialised mouthparts, while the squat lobster relies on a broader mix of scavenging, filtering, and opportunistic feeding across its much wider habitat range.
Which species was discovered more recently, the squat lobster or the yeti crab?
The yeti crab was discovered far more recently, first described in 2005, while squat lobsters as a group have been known to science for much longer.