Zombie Worms Crave Bone

Zombie worms do not crave brains: instead they want bones. Osedax worms of 1 to 3 inches (2 to 7 cm) were originally found in gray whale bones rotten in the deep sea floor in 2002 and their depth was about 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Since then, more Osedax species have been discovered: according to the World Ocean Species registration, there are five

The zombie worm digests fat in the bones, not directly eating mineral bones. But their "eating" style is completely different from ours because they do not have mouth or stomach! They secrete acid from the skin, dissolve the bone, and release the trapped fat and protein inside. After that, symbiotic bacteria living in insects digest fat and protein. It is not clear how Osedax gets nutrients from bacteria: they may only digest bacteria, or nutrients are transferred to the worm in some way.

Osedax is best known for extracting part of the final nutrients from whale bones, but they do not distinguish bones. They were also found in the fish bones and threw away the bones of the colonial cattle from the boat.

They grab any bone that they can find by drilling with a root containing symbiotic bacteria. Feathers protrude from the other end of the body and act as sputum to extract oxygen from the seawater. The zombie worms can return these feathers to the body when they are disturbed.

If this alone is not enough to be surprised, the only worm that drills is a woman. A man with a microscope lives in the body. In one study, 111 males were counted in female zombie worms! Because the eggs and sperm are just adjacent, this eliminates the hassle of having to find a spouse. Then the worm can spray many fertilized eggs in the distance, hoping they will fall close to the recently collapsed bone.

Women's zombie worms are the only worm we see on decorative bone surfaces; male zombie worms are microscopic and live inside women. Hundreds of small male specimens were discovered from women's worms. And it relieved pressure to find spouses on bones scattered around the deep ocean. Most of the polychaetes are small animals, but they are not bobbit worms (Eunice aphroditois). This hairy worm has a length of 10 feet, which is much higher than ordinary humans. If this is not enough scary, the bobbit worm is an invisible predator. Almost all long bodies are hiding under the sea. On the head there are five antennas that fish and other insects feel like swimming, as they move, the cave jumps out of the cave at a very fast rate, grabs the prey and knocks it with a spring squat. Cut in half. If it is difficult to capture live prey, it does not despise the removal of plants or other debris.

Zombie worms do not crave brains: instead they want bones. Osedax worms of 1 to 3 inches (2 to 7 cm) were originally found in gray whale bones rotten in the deep sea floor in 2002 and their depth was about 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Since then, more Osedax species have been discovered: according to the World Ocean Species registration, there are five species. The zombie worm digests fat in the bones, not directly eating mineral bones. But their "eating" style is completely different from ours because they do not have mouth or stomach! They secrete acid from the skin, dissolve the bone, and release the trapped fat and protein inside. After that, symbiotic bacteria living in insects digest fat and protein. It is not clear how Osedax gets nutrients from bacteria: they may only digest bacteria, or nutrients are transferred to the worm in some way.

Five zombie worms (Osedax sp.) Were named because of the tendency of animal bone to break down at the seabed. Most of them were observed to eat whale bones, but they did not distinguish whether other debris is available or not. Because the zombie worm's skin produces acids that melt the bones, they can reach the fat and protein embedded in the bone. Without mouth and stomach, worms depend on various root systems. They implanted the roots in the bones, and the symbiotic bacteria rooted in the roots helped them digest the food. Scientists do not yet know how nutrients actually enter zombie worms.