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Rimicaris exoculata, commonly known as the 'blind shrimp', is a species of shrimp. It thrives on active hydrothermal edifices at deep-sea vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This species belongs to the Alvinocarididae family of shrimp, named after DSV Alvin, the vessel that collected the original samples described by M. L. Christoffersen in 1986. The name Rimicaris is derived from the Latin word 'rima', which means rift or fissure, in reference to the Mid Atlantic Ridge, and the Greek word 'karis', meaning shrimp.

Rimicaris exoculata typically measures between 4–6 cm in length, and weighs an average of 1.6 grams. During the molt cycle of their exoskeleton, this species transitions from white to translucent due to mineral deposits in the branchial chamber . Both sides of their body are covered in long, numerous bacteriophore setae, and they possess an enlarged cephalothorax. Although they lack eyes, Rimicaris exoculata has a high concentration of rhodopsin within a dorsal "eyespot" located beneath a transparent cuticle on their carapace. Despite having non-image-forming optics, their evolved compound eye on the dorsal surface suggests extreme sensitivity to light, and the ability to detect dim light and chemical compounds emitted by vents. With an enlarged gill chamber and hypertrophied mouthparts covered in thick microbial layers, Rimicaris exoculata house a dense ectosymbiotic community of chemoautotrophic bacteria within its gill chambers. The atypically large mouthparts within the gill chamber are densely covered with setae.