The Spaghetti Worm

Hungry, anyone?

the spaghetti-like tentacles are used for

The spaghetti worm can be found in the shallow, tropical waters of

This species is related to

The spaghetti worm is a type of segmented worm about 6 inches long.  It lives hidden in its burrow in the sand or mud surrounded by a tube made of sand grains cemented together by mucus.  Only the worm’s tentacles and gills are exposed to view.  The tentacles are not retractable.   Certain fish like to eat the tentacles of the spaghetti worm.  That’s no problem, the worm simply grows a few new ones.

The Spaghetti Worm

The spaghetti worm, or Eupolymnia crassicornis, is a marine polychaete worm in the phylum Annelida.  It is related to the earthworm.

The spaghetti worm can be found in South Florida and Puerto Rico and it prefers muddy and sandy bottoms of sea grass beds and near coral reefs.

The worm feeds on tiny bits of organic matter that rain down on its outstretched tentacles.

 

Chew on this:

The foot-long tentacles of the spaghetti worm, which resemble strands of spaghetti, reach out in all directions gathering up detritus and other bits of organic matter.  Food particles are swept along the tentacles by hair-like cilia.  Each tentacle is shaped like a little gutter leading into the mouth of the worm.

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