Giant tubeworm is a large worm that lives at the bottom of parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The animal gets its name from the hard tube in which it lives. The worm forms its tube by producing various proteins and a tough substance called chitin. One end of the tube is attached to a rock or other hard surface. The other end has an opening through which the tubeworm can extend a bright red feathery organ called a plume. Giant tubeworms live near hydrothermal vents. Such vents are places where warm, chemical-rich water flows from the ocean floor.
The giant tubeworm is an unusually large worm. Some adults reach about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. The tubes may be as tall as 8 feet (2.5 meters). The largest tubeworms are 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter. The animals may weigh more than 5 ounces (150 grams).
The adult giant tubeworm has no mouth and does not eat solid food. Instead, it lives with bacteria in a relationship called symbiosis. In symbiosis, different organisms live together in a manner that benefits one or more of them. In this case, the tubeworm provides the bacteria with nutrients and with a place to live. In return, the bacteria produce food for the tubeworm. A giant tubeworm contains so many bacteria that they typically make up about half of the tubeworm’s total weight.
Normally, the tubeworm stays at the top of its tube and extends its plume into the water. The plume consists of many thin tentacles. The tentacles absorb chemicals from the vent waters, especially sulfur. The bacteria in the tubeworm’s body use these chemicals to generate energy and to make sugars, in a process called chemosynthesis. The plume also expels waste from the tubeworm’s body. The red color results from the many blood vessels in the plume. When threatened by a predator (hunting animal), such as a deep-sea crab, the tubeworm pulls its plume into the tube for protection.
A female giant tubeworm releases large numbers of eggs into the water. These eggs develop into larval (young) tubeworms that can float for many weeks in the deep ocean. When a larval tubeworm finds a hydrothermal vent, it attaches to a nearby hard surface. Once attached, the giant tubeworm cannot change locations.
See also Deep sea (Invertebrates).
