[2] Rimicaris kairei have entirely white bodies with blackened branchial chambers, possibly due to their symbiotic bacteria.

[6] Rimicaris shrimp range from 4 to 5 cm long and generally weigh an average of 1.6 grams.

These symbiotic bacteria live in their intestines and manufacture energy by reducing sulfur from hydrothermal vents.

[8] Adult Rimicaris kairei get their nutrition from their symbiotes through a direct transfer taking place on the cephalothorax.

[8] Adult individuals have richer, more diverse populations of symbiotic bacteria which would allow them to better survive in their harsh environments.

[9] Rimicaris kairei shrimp undergo a larval stage where they consume dead photosynthetic organisms that fall through the water column.

Rimicaris kairei live on hydrothermal vents in the Dodo, Solitaire, Edmond and Kairei vent fields located in the Indian Ocean along the Central Indian Ridge near the Rodrigues triple junction,[1] and are generally found at depths of 3000 to 3600 meters.

[4] Shrimp in the Rimicaris genus were originally thought to have only lived in the Atlantic ocean before they were first discovered in the Kairei vent fields.