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Methane-Fueled Sea Spiders Stun Scientists

While investigating methane seeps deep below the Pacific Ocean off Southern California and Alaska, marine biologists have stumbled upon a truly extraordinary discovery: three new species of sea spiders that survive by consuming methane. These tiny, translucent creatures—roughly a centimeter long—are part of the genus Sericosura and thrive at depths around 1,000 meters, where methane gas bubbles from the seabed. What sets these sea spiders apart is a remarkable symbiosis. Their exoskeletons are coated in methane-oxidizing bacteria. These microbes feast on the methane and, in return, produce nutrients that the spiders graze off their bodies. “They farm bacteria,” explains Shana Goffredi of Occidental College, who led the 2021 deep-sea expeditions. The spiders scrape and ingest these microbial coatings, absorbing carbon derived from methane within mere days.

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Methane-Powered Sea Spiders Have Evolved A Symbiotic Relationship With Deep  Sea Bacteria | IFLScience

This groundbreaking discovery, now detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reshapes our understanding of oceanic methane cycling. It reveals that deep-sea ecosystems may play a bigger role in methane regulation—and, by extension, climate control—than previously realized. Moreover, each spider species appears confined to specific methane seeps—some near San Diego’s Del Mar site, others off Palos Verdes—emphasizing how finely tuned these relationships are to localized environments. These are the first Sericosura species confirmed to digest methane this way, though scientists suspect up to 11 related species may share the trait.

Bianca Dal Bó, the lead author and recent Occidental graduate, says the research emerged from mentorship under Goffredi and extensive deep-sea fieldwork aboard submersibles like Alvin. The team even found similar bacteria in egg sacs carried by males—a sign that this unique diet is passed to the next generation. Beyond offering insights into biodiversity, the find may have practical uses. By understanding how these symbiotic systems trap methane, researchers hope to explore applications in environmental cleanup, perhaps developing biotech tools to capture methane before it escapes into the atmosphere.

This natural phenomenon echoes other extreme-life strategies, such as methane-ice worms found in continental mud—a reminder that life adapts in extraordinary ways in the depths. Identifying these species didn’t require massive monsters, but careful lab isotopic analysis and underwater sleuthing—a “happy accident,” as Goffredi described it. In a world desperate to comprehend climate drivers, these methane-fueled sea spiders highlight a hidden frontier of ecological innovation—and a new twist in the deep-sea narrative.

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