Thursday, 17 November 2011

Christmas Tree Worm - Spirobranchus giganteus

These cone shaped tube-dwelling worms (two here) live on coral and most of their bodies are in a hole bored into a live calcareous coral. The colourful spirals are their tentacles, which are used for feeding and respiration. The coloured part is only about 3-4 centimetres in size and they are retracted into the burrow at the slightest movement near them.
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1 comment:

  1. PerthDailyPhoto17 November 2011 at 21:05

    That is probably one of the most amazing little creatures you've shown up to date! It's like something out of an animated movie. Excellent catch!

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