Giant Tube Worms were first discovered in the 1970s living in great clusters around
hydrothermal vents. A hydrothermal vent is a hot
spring produced by underwater volcanoes
or tectonic activity.
Vents spew out heated, mineral-rich waters
and are usually located around depths of 6500
to 13,000 feet.
Hundreds of other animal species will live together in a vent community.
Tube worms live in a permanent tube made out of chitin.
The same material that makes up the shells of lobsters and crabs.
They have no eyes, mouth or gut
and will never completely leave their tube.
The only part of the worms' body that is visible is their red plume of gills
that absorbs chemicals like hydrogen sulfide
in the water. Within the worms' tissues
lives bacteria that can make up over half the weight of the worm.
Bacteria inside tube worms utilize the hydrogen sulfide
, which is highly toxic to most organisms,
to produce carbohydrates for the worm.
And energy for themselves.
This process is called chemosynthesis.
The bacteria and worms gain their food
with no reliance on sunlight.
The water they live in is under immense pressure
and full of acid and toxic gas,
but somehow they manage to thrive.
Worms can reach up to six feet and they will grow full size in less than two years. In order
repopulate, the worms will release sperm and eggs
into the water where fertilization will occur.
Larva will flow through the deep water until a hydrothermal
vent is located. Then,
they will settle and attach to the rocky bottom.
Young tube worms do have a mouth and gut for the
bacteria to enter. As the worm matures
the mouth and gut will disappear.
The communities in hydrothermal vents are often short lived
due to the constant changes in tectonic activities.
When one vent system dies off, another may be starting to form.
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