Wet Life / 31 March, 2012
Underwater Symbiosis
Fairy crab | A tiny creature with an extraordinary appearance
These beautiful small, pink hairy squat lobsters, Lauriea siagiani, live on Giant Barrel Sponges. They are usually very difficult to photograph as they tend to hide in the recesses between the protrusions on the sides of the sponges. The lobster's hairs capture microscopic particles of food in the water and a pair of hairless hind legs are used like a knife and fork to eat the captured particles. These pink, purple spotted lobsters with their long white protruding hairs, sitting eating on top of their sponge hosts create a spectacular and slightly weird symbiosis.
Banda Sea
8°03'55" S | 128°23'56" E
Amortaun, Indonesia