In recently published video evidence, a strange marine monster with glowing orange, spaghetti-like tentacles made its internet premiere. The strange pom-pom-shaped organism is actually a polychaete, a form of segmented sea worm, and it is a member of the fittingly called spaghetti worms family.
In 2012, whilst surveying the Gulf of California off of the coast of Mexico, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film the pasta-emulating worm. In honour of World Polychaete Day, they posted the film on July 1 on MBARI’s YouTube channel(opens in new tab).
Although the official name of this particular species of spaghetti worm has not yet been determined, it is a member of the genus Biremis. According to an MBARI release, it has neither eyes or gills and feeds on microscopic bits of organic waste known as marine snow using its colourful tentacles (opens in new tab).
The majority of spaghetti worms are underground dwellers that only emerge to scavenge for food using their noodle-like tentacles. However, this Biremis worm spends its entire existence above ground, and MBARI reports that it has previously been seen swimming through the water or crawling over the bottom to locate areas where food is abundant.
In 2003, a second team of MBARI researchers used a different ROV to identify the nameless spaghetti worm species in the Gulf of California. But even today, over two decades after the first report of the species, researchers are still trying to name it.
“Although giving a species its own name would seem to be a simple process, it actually takes a lot of time and dedication to collect specimens, examine key features, sequence the DNA and assign a scientific name,”
MBARI representatives
Although the precise depth at which this worm may live is unknown, MBARI reports that the bulk of encounters have taken place at depths of less than 6,560 feet (2,000 metres).
This spaghetti worm serves as a reminder of how little is known about deep-sea creatures and the functions they perform in their ecosystems. According to MBARI, it is crucial to keep exploring the deep ocean and the species that inhabit there, particularly when many deep-sea ecosystems are being harmed by harmful activities like deep-sea mining or trawling.
“No doubt many more wonderful worms like Biremis await discovery in the ocean’s mysterious depths,” MBARI representatives stated.
image credits: MBARI
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