Critter of the Week: Giant Seep Mussel (Gigantidas tangaroa)

Nicola Toki joins Jesse to discuss the giant seep mussel. This week's critter lives in a pitch-black world nearly a kilometre beneath the waves, and farms its own food. The giant seep mussel (Gigantidas tangaroa) is found only off the east coast of the North Island, clustered around methane bubbling from the seafloor. With no sunlight for photosynthesis, it hosts methane-eating bacteria in its gills, which turn seabed chemicals into energy. This smooth, dark-brown mussel can grow to 20 centimetres long, but its known habitat is tiny. Classified as Nationally Critical, it is vulnerable to disturbance from deep-sea fishing and mining.