One shrimp has even adapted special pruning claws to harvest food from its volcanic environment, while another becomes a hunter later in life.

"The 'Loihi' shrimp has adapted to grazing the bacterial filaments with tiny claws like garden shears," Tunnicliffe said. "The second shrimp is a new species — they also graze as juveniles, but as they grow to adult stage, their front claws enlarge and they become predators."

That predator shrimp takes the opportunity to feed on dying animals that get caught in volcanic bursts of activity.

"We saw dying fish, squid, etc., raining down onto the seamount, where they were jumped on by the volcano shrimp