These small gram-negative cells have a variable number of long flagella at the ends and sides of their rod-shaped bodies.

[1] Discovered in 2009, the species (as strain UMB49T) was isolated from 120,000 years old glacial ice, 3,042 metres (1.9 mi) deep, from Greenland.

[3] Loveland-Curtze, head of the team of scientists from Pennsylvania State University who found the species, speculates that it may offer insight into the existence of organisms in extraterrestrial habitats.

At this temperature, the bacteria has a doubling time of four hours when grown in tryptic soy broth without glucose.

H. glaciei is resistant to a number of antibiotics: ampicillin, bacitracin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, nalidixic acid, rifampicin, streptomycin and vancomycin.