A team of American-led divers has discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, French researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta, was so distinct from other species that they created a new family and genus for it.

The divers found the animal in waters 7,540 feet deep at a site 900 miles south of Easter Island last year, according to Michel Segonzac of the French Institute for Sea Exploration.

The new crustacean is described in the journal of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

The animal is white and just shy of 6 inches long — about the size of a salad plate.

In what Segonzac described as a "surprising characteristic," the animal's pincers are covered with sinuous, hair-like strands.

It is also blind. The researchers found it had only "the vestige of a membrane" in place of eyes, Segonzac said.

The researchers said that while legions of new ocean species are discovered each year, it is quite rare to find one that merits a new family.

The family was named Kiwaida, from Kiwa, the goddess of crustaceans in Polynesian mythology.

The diving expedition was organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060308/ap_on_...HBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

hehe looks kinda cute

That's a very odd pic. And the fact that it's blind is...interesting.

I saw this on the news today, very interesting find, there was a funny reaction by the news anchor when one of them was asked if you'd like to find out what it tastes like... I wouldn't.
Cool blonde fur on this critter.

living a mile and a half down, no wonder it is blind. no light goes t here anyway. perhaps the "fur" developed to increase tactile awareness of its surroundings. fabulous find. i love deep sea creatures.

Very Odd...

maybe the hair works like whiskers/feelers... just a thought.

or it's pimpin....

I bet you that is exactly it!

so awsome. I can see them finding it now
Guy1-Holly S**T that lobster has a F***ing fur coat on!
Guy2-(their French so the other guy probably said..) WeWe
lol

thats one ugly critter.

probably tastes like chicken

Pax Unum is probably right.

interesting .....
mmmm..........wonder if it taste like a lobster .

Agreed

If we can find something so small at such a great depth, it does not look very likely that we will find a new type of animal of impressive size such as the legendary Sea Monsters. If the Champ vid comes up a hoax or misidentification, it would be a large blow to the credibility of lake/sea monster investigations and expeditions, funding would be almost impossible.

Sure is a strange looking creature isn't it.
Nice find

Stands to reason, I reckon it would taste like lobster!! Probably pretty bony.

when it comes to the vast, unexplored, Sea's and Oceans, I keep my mind open...

Interesting... I wonder if this will lead to many more deep-sea creature discoveries... Possible Sea Serpents?

Sea Serpents are quite in vogue with all the recent sightings 'ey

Alot of people say anything is possible, this annoys me as it is a silly statement, as I am sure I could give anyone who says this an impossible challenge.

Seriously though, divers, not an expedition, research team or other found this little beastie at 7,540 feet deep at a site 900 miles south of Easter Island, it is just shy of 6 inches long.
Some people don't mid travelling for a dive do they.
Lucky find 'ey.

A Sea Serpent is purported to be 50-80 foot long. I reckon one would stand out more than a lobster. Even at that depth. If Sea Serpents are proven real, I for one will be quite suprised. I hope I am wrong, but the reports on the way they move etc, they really do sound unlikely. IMO.

Gotta keep an open mind though

Still - a whole new family and genus is an impressive find.

Cute little guy. i'll call him fuzzy!

Nice find

What's even more amusing about this is that it was sent three times to me by different contacts in real life, despite none of them knowing my screenname of angrycrustacean. Most peculiar.

I want one of those for a pet, by the way.

hehe, cool coincidence 'ey - do you keep crusteceans as pets perhaps?

It would be a booming trade for the pet market wouldn't it!! Who wouldn't want a blond hairy Lobster in your longeroom tank!!

Are you asking me if I keep crustaceans as pets?

If so, I have. For a while I kept fiddler crabs, and then later on, hermit crabs. In retrospect, they were wretched little things...ugh.

I also kept (of course) sea monkeys, which are crustaceans, and triops, which were miniature horseshoe crabs.

Yep

Sounds like you like em, those hermit crabs are pretty cool. I've had Sea Monkeys too, what a colossal disapointment that was. The package had me really going!!!!

Sounds like this one would make a nice addition to your collection

Does anyone else see the smiley face on the lobster? This makes me wanna smile right back. Look on the back... if you were behind the lobster it would be right-side-up, and it also looks like it's sticking out its tongue.

That's sort of a Tribble / Lobster hybrid. Very interesting.

It's cute for a furry lobster.

You see, the great thing about htis animal is that after yer finished eating it, you don't have to leave the table to floss yer teeth!

RKD

Ick, tho. I don't like lobster!

Oh wow, thats a neat looking lobster. Looks kinda cool with that fur on it. And I agree, Im sure those are feelers. Nice find!


Vixen

I wonder if that lobster is dumber than other lobsters

hahahahhah u funnnyyy hahhaahaah

Except that giant squids have only recently been photographed int he wild and they are about that size.

Sea serpents may be out there somewhere and just VERY adept at remaining hidden.

Well I for one would never see it. Unless it knocked on my door selling cookies or summat.

but they probably don't exist...There is just no physical proof...no fossils, no nothing!

It is a great find and does bring alot of hope that there is still so much more to discover in the vastness of the oceans....but let's not get ahead of ourselves here with regards to "sea serpents"...after all...it took how long to find this 6" never before seen specimen??? not 6 feet long...6 INCHES!!!! You would think that something as supposedly large as a sea-serpent would have been much easier to locate, especially considering the massive quantities of food a species like that must have to consume to sustain itself.



I concur.

Small furry lobster= mini trunko?

It could probably cut you open with its pincers then shed some hair into the wound to make it go septic and kill you.

can it be a deep sea creature if it lives in the pacific? maybe deep ocean creature lol..i dont know my water >.<.. .nice find though...its equally good with the half n half lobster find. it would be amazing to see that one attack a fish for its lunch or something...can call it the hairy claw attack

I'l second that!!

I could not agree more, I have been saying this all along. I is more like evidence that we are not going to find something of impressive size. The best bet is to chase the things we know little about - like the Sleeper Shark.
From animals like this, we could learn a great deal about the environment they inhabit. It would most certainly lead to other discoveries. In fact check out the bottom of the page on the link provided



ey, ey.....

They may have only been photographed recently, but we have had evidence of their existance for many years. We also have seen dead specimens washed up and in nets. It is a common misconception that they only became known to man last year. It has actually been closer to 100 years. In fact, we know colossal squid exist, but we don't have a live one or a film of a live one. No live physical evidence, but they are not considered myth.

You sound pretty sure of Sea Serpents. Apart from some eyewitness accounts, there is no evidence. Frogfish shows the strongest factor - no fossil record. Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents are very popular, yet we cannot confirm a single one even in an enclosed environment with radar and sonar. What's up with that??
As you can see from my previous post in agreeance with Onyxdk (damn that avatar makes me think Clockwork Orange everytime I see it!!), I think this is evidence that we will not find such a large creature.

Anyone say Morgellons disease ????

Ominous music please......