Marine worms
Silo of annelids and marine worms, from reefs to hydrothermal vents.
🌊 1–3500 m (known range of the family)
Harmless
Giant tube worm
Riftia pachyptila
Giant tube worm
Lacking a mouth, stomach or anus, it lives entirely thanks to symbiotic bacteria that convert the toxic hydrogen sulfide of hydrothermal plumes into energy.
🌊 1500–2500 m
- ⚡ Lives without a mouth or stomach, entirely nourished by internal symbiotic bacteria
- ⚡ Its hemoglobin carries both oxygen and a deadly poison without harm, a unique biochemical feat
Low danger
Bobbit worm
Eunice aphroditois
Bobbit worm
Buried in the sand and invisible, this predatory worm waits for months before striking in a fraction of a second, slicing a fish clean in two with its jaws.
🌊 1–200 m
- ⚡ A lightning strike capable of slicing a fish clean in two instantly
- ⚡ Total camouflage: invisible under the sand, it can wait for months before attacking
Harmless
Pompeii worm
Alvinella pompejana
Pompeii worm
This worm tolerates one of the steepest thermal gradients in the animal kingdom, its tail sitting in water above 50°C while its head, just centimeters away, breathes water barely 20°C.
🌊 1500–3500 m
- ⚡ Withstands an extreme temperature gradient across its own body — tail above 50°C, head at around 20°C, just centimeters apart
- ⚡ 'Farms' its own living insulation: a felt of heat-resistant bacteria on its back that protects and feeds it