法国研究人员3月7日表示，潜水者在南太平洋水域发现了一种新的甲壳类动物。这种动物的样子和龙虾很相似，全身覆盖着如丝绸般的白毛。

    据美联社3月7日报道，科学家们将这种动物命名为“基瓦多毛怪”（Kiwa hirsuta）。科学家说，这种动物与其它甲壳类动物截然不同，因此他们为“基瓦多毛怪”新创了一个动物类别和新的科属。

    这种动物在巴黎国家自然历史博物馆的期刊中有记述：它身为白色，体长5.9英寸（约合15厘米），其大小和一个沙拉盘差不多。

    法国海洋探测研究院的米谢尔·谢贡查克表示，这种动物是被一支由美国人领导的潜水小组，于去年在南太平洋复活节岛以南900英里（约合1448.37千米）处，7540英尺（约合2298米）深的水中发现的。让谢贡查克感到惊讶的是，这种动物的两只大螯上都覆盖着柔软的、类似于毛发一样的细丝。

    Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blonde fur, French researchers said Tuesday.

    Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta, was so distinct from other species that they created a new genus and new family for it.

    A team of American-led divers found the animal in waters 7,540 feet deep at a site 900 miles south of Easter Island last year, according to Michel Segonzac of the French Institute for Sea Exploration, or IFREMER.

    The new crustacean is described in the journal of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The animal is white and 5.9 inches long, about the size of a salad plate.

    In what Segonzac described as a "surprising characteristic," the animal's pincers are covered with sinuous, hair-like strands. The diving expedition was organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California.