The Vent Shrimp (Rimicaris exoculata), also known as the hydrothermal shrimp, hydrothermal vent shrimp, deep sea shrimp, or deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp, live in a deep underwater abyss with zero sunlight (energy source used for food production) and crushing pressure, where they feed near hydrothermal jets that spew toxic chemicals harmful to most living organisms. How then do these arthropods eat and survive in an extreme environment with no light ? The answer is chemosynthesis – a process where organisms use chemical energy to make food! Bacteria on the vents use the expelled minerals and chemicals and turn it into organic matter. The shrimp then feed on the bacteria as their main food source.
Advertisement