Meet David Hasselhoff, the crab.


The animal, which features in BBC1’s Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth, is named after the Hoff because of its “lavishly hairy chest.”

But that isn’t the only similarity between the crustacean and the actor, oh no.

“Males spend their entire lives in the water competing for top spots and females,” goes narrator Cillian Murphy‘s description of the Hoff crab species, in what also reads as a perfect synopsis of Baywatch.

And the similarities don’t end there. Hoff crabs “rely on sulphur and water to survive but they are at constant risk of getting cooked”.

Ok, so the actor probably doesn’t require sulphur to live, but he’s certainly in danger of getting “cooked” while leaping around in that blazing Californian sun all day.

There are, however, a couple of differences between the crab and the man. These animals live deep beneath the Atlantic ocean in huge clusters, some “as large as dinner plates”, whereas The Hoff spends more time above sea level and is definitely bigger than a plate.

Oh, and the real Hoff probably doesn’t find his bushy chest half as useful as these crabs find theirs…

“Bacteria growing in these hairs feed on the sulphurous chemicals in water,” explains Murphy. “In return the bacteria are food for the crabs.”

Well, it would be more convenient than driving to a diner for a cheese burger…

Atlantic: the Wildest Ocean on Earth is on Thursday at 9pm on BBC2


Cillian Murphy will talk Peaky Blinders series three with creator Steven Knight at the Radio Times Festival

Tickets for the Radio Times Festival are available from the official website (click here or on the banner below for details). The festival runs 24-27th September on The Green at Hampton Court Palace.