Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Bobbit Worms
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Bobbit Worms
Hello, this isWild Suzhou.
Today, we will betalking about bobbit worms, also known as sand strikers. These frighteningcreatures live under the seafloor and are sneaky and quick predators.
First, what arebobbit worms? They are marine worms that can be anywhere from 10 centimeters to3 meters long. They can come in many different colors, from brown, to purple toblack. Their bodies are soft but have an exoskeleton, just like a spider or abeetle would have. Bobbit worms are ambush predators, using their antennae tosense for prey, grabbing them with their strong jaws, and then pulling theminto their burrows.
Newly foundfossils show that these worms may have been around in the ocean around 20million years ago. The fossils found are called trace fossils. A trace fossilis different from what most people expect fossils to be, because they areevidence of footprints, trails, and burrows that ancient animals used to livein. In this case, scientists found trace fossils of the burrows that bobbitworms live in. These fossils were found by biologist Masakazu Nara when he noticedthe weird burrows in the rocks he was studying. They were unlike anythingscientists had seen before.
It took some hardwork to figure out what had made the fossils, but two things helped scientiststo find the answer. First, the tops of the burrows were eroded, or worn down,shows that there was an animal moving in and out of the tunnel. The shape alsoshowed that the animal was moving out of the burrow quickly, like bobbit wormsquickly ambushing prey. Second, the tops of the burrows were rich in iron. Thisis because bobbit worms release mucus to stop the burrow from wearing down asquickly. Bacteria will feed on the mucus, creating a compound known as ironsulfide, which has iron in it.
Finally, newfossils have been found in Canada that are around 400 million years old, withsigns of worms that move and act like bobbit worms do. Maybe one day, evenolder fossils could be found with fossil evidence of the intriguing and uniquebobbit worm.
For Wild Suzhou,I’m Ciana, thanks for listening and see you next time.
View all episodes
By 荒野苏州自然频道
5
33 ratings
Hello, this isWild Suzhou.
Today, we will betalking about bobbit worms, also known as sand strikers. These frighteningcreatures live under the seafloor and are sneaky and quick predators.
First, what arebobbit worms? They are marine worms that can be anywhere from 10 centimeters to3 meters long. They can come in many different colors, from brown, to purple toblack. Their bodies are soft but have an exoskeleton, just like a spider or abeetle would have. Bobbit worms are ambush predators, using their antennae tosense for prey, grabbing them with their strong jaws, and then pulling theminto their burrows.
Newly foundfossils show that these worms may have been around in the ocean around 20million years ago. The fossils found are called trace fossils. A trace fossilis different from what most people expect fossils to be, because they areevidence of footprints, trails, and burrows that ancient animals used to livein. In this case, scientists found trace fossils of the burrows that bobbitworms live in. These fossils were found by biologist Masakazu Nara when he noticedthe weird burrows in the rocks he was studying. They were unlike anythingscientists had seen before.
It took some hardwork to figure out what had made the fossils, but two things helped scientiststo find the answer. First, the tops of the burrows were eroded, or worn down,shows that there was an animal moving in and out of the tunnel. The shape alsoshowed that the animal was moving out of the burrow quickly, like bobbit wormsquickly ambushing prey. Second, the tops of the burrows were rich in iron. Thisis because bobbit worms release mucus to stop the burrow from wearing down asquickly. Bacteria will feed on the mucus, creating a compound known as ironsulfide, which has iron in it.
Finally, newfossils have been found in Canada that are around 400 million years old, withsigns of worms that move and act like bobbit worms do. Maybe one day, evenolder fossils could be found with fossil evidence of the intriguing and uniquebobbit worm.
For Wild Suzhou,I’m Ciana, thanks for listening and see you next time.