This lithodid crab is perched on a mussel bed at 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean
Scientists just found perhaps the largest methane seep in the world (about one kilometer long). Around this seep they discovered a vast ecosystem that was supported by the constant leak of methane. This seep of methane was found in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is only the third one to be found off the coast of the United States. Mussels were found covering the seep of methane. Since these mussels were so deep in the sea, the sun’s energy did not reach them, so they relied on bacteria that used the methane to make energy. Researchers also found sea cucumbers squeezing themselves between the mussels. Around this mound of mussels and sea cucumbers, scientists found shrimp swimming around (most likely eating leftover food). Many strange fish were also found circling this ecosystem. It will be interesting for deep sea divers to collect specimens from this methane ecosystem someday to study them in more detail. Since methane is a gas that contributes to the atmospheric greenhouse effect, understanding how these creatures use methane might help us slow global warming.
