Ninjas vs. Yetis

[thatguy]

Apparently they've discovered a hairy-chested variant:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150624-new-species-yeti-crab-antarctica-oceans/">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015 ... ca-oceans/</a><!-- m -->

New Species: Hairy-Chested Yeti Crab Found in Antarctica


A large male Kiwa tyleri, whose legs are heavily covered in bacteria, its main food source.

Photograph by NERC (National Environment Research Council)
It's white. It's hairy. It's elusive. It's a yeti … crab. Meet Kiwa tyleri, the newest member of the yeti crab family and the first to be found in the cold waters off Antarctica.

Unlike its Abominable Snowman namesake, this clawed crustacean ranges in length from half a foot (15 centimeters) to under an inch (0.5 centimeter). It's only the third known species of yeti crab, a group of shaggy-armed creatures first discovered in the South Pacific in 2005. (Related picture: "'Yeti Crab' Discovered in Deep Pacific.")

In search of the new yeti, in 2010 scientists piloted a remotely operated vehicle to the hydrothermal vents of East Scotia Ridge, more than 8,500 feet (2,600 meters) deep.

There, they found thriving communities of yeti crab, which live in environments harsher than any of their relatives.

"We knew immediately that we'd found something tremendously novel and unique in hydrothermal vent research," says study leader Sven Thatje, an ecologist at the U.K.'s University of Southampton. (Related pictures: "'Lost World' of Odd Species Found Off Antarctica.")

Analysis of the Antarctic crabs revealed that they were genetically distinct species, according to the new study, published June 24 in PLOS ONE.


Male and female yeti crabs congregate at a hydrothermal vent at the East Scotia Ridge in the waters off Antarctica.

Photograph by NERC (National Environment Research Council)
Waters near East Scotia Ridge are generally just above freezing. However, the liquid spewing out of the vents themselves is superhot, and can exceed 700 degrees Fahrenheit (about 400 degrees Celsius).

Because the water cools rapidly away from the vents, K. tyleri has only a tiny, Goldilocks-like space in which it can survive. Too close to the vent and they fry. Too far away and they freeze. (Also see "Weird Animal World Discovered in Deepest Pacific Ocean Vents.")

As a result, Thatje says the Antarctic yetis cluster together much more closely than the other two known species. He observed them on top of one another, "like beans in a jar, filling every available space"—some 700 specimens per 11 square feet (a square meter).

Thatje also said the newfound species is better built for climbing than its kin—since it has shorter and more robust front limbs. K. tyleri is also more stout and compact than its abyssal plain-loving cousins. This physique likely allows the crustacean to jockey for position on vents' vertical surfaces.

The team also saw some females outside the vent's habitable zone. Thatje hypothesizes that like many other deep-sea species, yeti crab larvae require colder temperatures to develop.

Which means mom has to make a big sacrifice: The cold takes a visible toll on the females, deteriorating their bodies over time. Female crabs likely breed only once before death.

Overall, yeti crabs are excellent at adapting to their harsh lifestyles. Since there's no sunlight where these crabs live, they've evolved another way to obtain energy: They "farm" their own food.

The crabs have hair-like structures on their chest and arms, called setae, that attracts bacteria, their main diet. (Related: "'Yeti' Crabs Farm Food on Own Arms—A First.")

These hairy chests have inspired its nickname of "Hoff crab," in homage to David Hasselhoff of Baywatch fame.

No offense to Hasselhoff, but Thatje says he prefers the official species name, K. tyleri, which he and his team chose to honor the lifetime achievements of Paul Tyler, a emeritus professor of the University of Southampton and a pioneer in deep-sea research.

Andrew Thurber, an ocean ecologist at Oregon State University, says the Antarctic yeti crab is "a really amazing discovery."

That's especially true because no one knew these animals existed a decade ago, says Thurber, who helped describe the second-known species of yeti crab, which lives off the coast of Costa Rica, in 2011.

"It just identifies how little we still know," he says, "and how some of these new species may be much more widespread than we thought."

--tg

[Drunk Monk]

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

It occurs to me, mostly when I'm sleep deprived, that the Yeti vs Ninja logo would make good use of the Yin-Yang symbol . . ..If only I could draw.

[King Bob]

[Drunk Monk]

Man, that portrait of PPFY is so uncanny, it gives me PTSD flashbacks of the foggy nights at Castle Highland when PPFY didn't have his glasses on and couldn't distinguish between a male Asian versus a female one.

I'm starting to shake now. Where's my special medicine?

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

that memory of yours at Castle Highland (The place that doesn't exist) keeps popping up. Isn't it time to talk to someone about it? Maybe with the Yeti?

[Drunk Monk]

Speaking of Castle Highland, Sunday's Rhymes with Orange was a spot-on version of PPFY during his Folsom years.

[Drunk Monk]

This...



...explains so much.

[thatguy]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/20...e-contest/

Yeti? Hive? Caribou? Utah NHL team asks fans to help choose name.
Scott Allen

---

Utah’s NHL franchise is asking fans to help name the team. The ownership group of the as yet nameless club, which relocated to Salt Lake City following the sale of the Arizona Coyotes last month, on Wednesday released a survey with 20 options for the new name. Fans are encouraged to select up to four names, with the first round of voting open until May 22.

The 20 options, some of which were submitted by fans in a previous survey, are Utah HC (Hockey Club), Canyons, Yeti, Ice, Mountaineers, Fury, Swarm, Squall, Venom, Caribou, Frost, Freeze, Powder, Glaciers, Black Diamonds, Outlaws, Mammoth, Blast, Blizzard and Hive.

Utah is the Beehive State, which explains the bee-themed options. Salt Lake City’s minor league baseball team, the Class AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, is named the Bees.

“Utah’s NHL team is a community asset, and we want to make sure that the community has a say in what the name is,” Ryan Smith, the leader of the team’s ownership group, said in a statement. “Utah has shown up for this team from the moment the NHL awarded us the franchise less than three weeks ago, and it is only fitting that our fans get the rare opportunity to help name the team they’ll be cheering for.”

Smith, who also owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, told NHL.com last month that he didn’t want to rush a rebrand this offseason. The team will wear jerseys with the name “Utah” during its inaugural 2024-25 season, similar to how the NFL’s Washington Commanders went by the Washington Football Team for two seasons after retiring its controversial former name in 2022. Utah’s NHL team will debut its name, logo, mascot and colors for the 2025-26 campaign.

“It’s got to be something that drives people to want to be a part of it, from all ages,” Smith told the Athletic when asked about the importance of the name. “It’s got to be a momentum builder.”

The team says it will “employ best practice survey research methodology to ensure fairness, accuracy, and unbiased results” and “the prevention of ballot box stuffing.” Additional details about the branding process will be announced later this summer.

Many NHL teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, relied heavily on fan input, including team-sponsored contests, when choosing their names.

When the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996, the franchise’s ownership group presented eight options and allowed write-in submissions as part of a name-the-team contest that garnered 10,000 entries. Two of the names suggested by ownership — Outlaws and Freeze — are options for Utah’s team. Fan-submitted names included Posse, Dry Ice and a certain figure skater who had been in the news.

“I know they’re being humorous but we’re getting a lot of people saying we should name the team after Tonya Harding,” Joel Horn, the contest’s spokesman, told the Winnipeg Sun.

Phoenix’s ownership group ultimately chose Coyotes over Scorpions — and Tonya Harding.

--tg

[Greg]

Utah NHL franchise could be named the Yetis. I hope someone is seeing about licensing rights.

Smith Entertainment Group -- which owns the still-to-be-coined team -- announced Thursday the six potential nicknames Utah will take on before its inaugural season begins in 2024-25: Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti.

[thatguy]

an Oldie, but FB just served it up again:



--tg