Featured Creatures

Clam Worms use their body segments (parapodia) in locomotion, to move and burrow into sand and mud. These segments are also used for respiration and sensing the environment. The parapodia are covered in sensory bristles that can “taste” chemicals in the water and sense current changes and act as feelers.

The giant hydrothermal vent tubeworms aren’t called “extremophiles” (they live in extreme environments) for no reason. Colonies of these tubeworms live on hydrothermal vents spewing hot, mineral-rich water that, in some places, can reach an astounding 350 degrees Celsius (660 degrees Fahrenheit).

We’ve all seen earthworms and think we know all about them. But do we? We think they’re good for our gardens, and that’s true. They aerate the soil and provide nutrients. But what’s good for the garden isn’t good for most forests in North America. That’s because earthworms are an invasive species. When the ice sheets moved across the continent more than 10,000 years ago, they wiped out native earthworms. Today, most earthworms north of Pennsylvania are non-native. They arrived with the European explorers.

Many marine worms (Annelids) live in the waters of the deep sea. One, named the green bomber worm lives as deep as 3,000 meters (1.9 miles) beneath the surface. It’s dark that deep in the ocean with only the occasional light from deep sea creatures, called bioluminescence.The green bomber worm, Swima bombiviridis, is a segmented worm that releases tiny fluid filled sacs that glow in the dark. The sacs are modified gill parts near its head. Researchers think that, when threatened by a predator, the worm drops this glowing “bomb” to distract the predator. The researchers observed worms swimming backwards after dropping the “bomb.”