Blue Christmas Tree Worm

The worms most distinct features are two crowns shaped like christmas trees.

Blue christmas tree worm. Project noah is a tool that nature lovers can use to explore and document local wildlife and a common technology platform that research groups can use to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere. Each worm has two brightly colored crowns that protrude from its tube like body. Christmas tree worms have been found burrowing into giant clams instead of coral.

Because it does not move outside its tube this worm does not have any specialized appendages for movement or swimming. The common name for these worms is derived from their appearance not their habitat or diet. The food is then passed down a food groove by ciliary tracts lines of tiny hair like extensions on the surface of cells that generate water currents to move food or mucus.

Christmas tree worms fir tree like appendages are also used for respiration collecting oxygen from the currents. Fun facts about christmas tree worms. The christmas tree worm is a colorful marine worm with beautiful spiraling plumes that resemble a fir tree.

Christmas tree worms average only about 1 5 inches in length. You won t find spirobranchus giganteus also known as the christmas tree worm eating your fir tree this year. It has a tubular segmented body of an approximate length of 3 8 cm 1 5 in covered with chaetae small appendages that aid the worm s mobility.

The christmas tree shape shown in the image is the animal s radioles which can be up to about 1 1 2 inches in diameter. They aren t very big averaging about 1 5 inches in length.