There are a huge variety of other fauna that inhabit hydrothermal
vent environments.
Some like tube worms live symbiotically with the chemoautotrophic
mircrobes others eat the microbes, others still hang at the very
edge of the vent eating the scraps of other organisms.
Vent
species are very distinct since they live in an extremely hostile environment
it is not surprising that only 7% of known species can be found outside
the vent habitat. Of all the vent species 93% is composed of molluscs,
polchaetes and arthropods.
Hydrothermal vent fauna in general exhibit an unusual trait in that they grow rapidly and reproduce young. Originally this was thought to be a an adaptation to the unpredictable nature of hydrothermal vents. Recent evidence suggest that it rapid growth and early reproduction might have more to do with the toxic environment that the fauna live in. Hydrothermal vents spew out mutagenic and carcinogenic substances. By growing rapidly and reproducing earlier fauna will allow them to repair their DNA minimizing damage from the toxic environment.
Photo of a snake fish Courtesy of BRIDGE
Sources: BRIDGE, V. Tunnicliffe