Life in Deep Sea Toxic Oases and Hot Springs

Secrets of the midnight zone

Chapter 1

Life in the shadows

Chapter 2

Toxic oases and hot springs

Chapter 3

Under crushing pressure

Chapter 4

The technology of discovery

Ch 2 · Toxic oases and hot springs

artiteacher Toxic Ocean Vents

Toxic oasis, toxic oasis / Life is blooming in the pitch black deep

artiteacher The yeti crab is a unique deep-sea crustacean

Bubbly Vent Buddies

BETA

artiteacher Match strange vent creatures to discover how new species survive in the darkest oceans.

Life powered by chemicals

artiteacher Hydrothermal vents spewing water heated to 400 degrees Celsius fuel a bizarre food web powered by chemical energy.

Quiz

Which toxic chemical do hydrothermal vent bacteria convert into usable energy?

Quiz

What process do deep-sea vent bacteria use to create energy without sunlight?

The most hostile environments force the deepest mutual dependence.

The hairy yeti crab

artiteacher Scientists discovered this strange crustacean near Pacific hydrothermal vents in 2005.

Quiz

In which ocean was the first species of yeti crab discovered in 2005?

Quiz

How does the yeti crab obtain its primary source of food?

Fun Fact

Boiling water: Hydrothermal vents can spew water at 400°C, but the immense pressure keeps it from boiling.

Quiz

Off the coast of which country did scientists discover a rare deep-sea octopus nursery in 2023?

Quiz

Why do deep-sea octopuses choose to brood their eggs near low-temperature hydrothermal vents?

Glossary

hydrothermal vent (noun)
An opening on the seafloor out of which geothermally heated, mineral-rich water flows. Researchers first discovered these deep-sea geysers near the Galápagos Islands in 1977.

Quiz

Which essential organ system is completely missing from a giant tube worm?

Quiz

What is the name of the specialized organ where giant tube worms host their energy-producing bacteria?

Gossip

Would you eat food grown on your arms?