HOW ANIMALS LIVE IN EXTREMES

Surviving in some of the world's harshest environments is tough, but not for these robust species

- SCOTT DUTFIELD

LIFE AT THE DEEPEST DEPTHS

The world's oceans are some of the most hostile environments to live in. From freezing polar waters to the darkness of the oxygen-depleted abyssal zone, life has adapted to the many different challenges that the ocean has to offer. Deep-sea creatures quite literally have to bear the weight of the world's water on their proverbial shoulders. To avoid being crushed by their highpressure environment, many deepsea species have evolved bodies made up mainly of water and utilise molecules called piezolytes to counteract the weight of the surrounding water. For example, more than 8,000 metres below the ocean surface off the coast of Japan, scientists have found what is potentially the deepest-dwelling fish in the world, the Mariana snailfish. The snailfish's piezolytes increase the space that proteins take up in a cell and prevent water from pushing its way inside.

Arguably the most hostile environments for life underwater can be found 2,500 metres below the ocean's surface, where hydrothermal vents called black smokers are found. These holes in the seafloor are where magma and water meet. Temperatures up to around 300 degrees Celsius and toxic gas emissions are just some of the hurdles that many animals have to overcome to call these vents home.

LIFE AT THE VENTS

Some of the animals that call these toxic underwater chimneys home

1 YETI CRAB

Discovered in 2005, these hairy-clawed crustaceans spend their time scurrying around hydrothermal vents, particularly in the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, which lies south of Easter Island. Unlike their crabby cousins nearer the surface, yeti crabs use their hairs, called setae, to collect their main food source: bacteria. These crabs also wave their claws around to move the flow of water and minerals that help bacteria reproduce.

2 POMPEII WORM