First Living Giant Shipworm Discovered
The world's oceans are known to house the most majestic creatures in the world. On the other hand, [...]
The world's oceans are known to house the most majestic creatures in the world. On the other hand, they also house some of the most terrifying creatures you'll ever set your eyes on. Case-in-point, meet the newly discovered giant shipworm
Recently discovered in a lagoon in the Philippines, this slimy creature is about three-feet long and lives inside baseball-bat-sized tubes. While the animal's been known about for at least 200 years, scientists have never found a live specimen.
According to The Guardian, researchers have found fossilized ones, but they do not provide the most detail on the subject's biology.
The giant shipworm, who's scientific name is Kuphus polythalamia, has a few interesting quirks to it.
First of all, it's not technically a worm; it's actually a type of clam.
Furthermore, it has a unique way it grows and develops.
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"If they want to grow, they have to open that end of that tube, so somehow dissolve or reabsorb that cap on the bottom, grow, extend the tube down further into the mud, and then they seal it off again," said Dan Distel of Northeastern University.
Another interesting fact is the creature'ssuper small digestive system. It has bacteria in its gills that convert hydrogen sulfide in water into energy.
And overall, while it is a bit creepy, the giant shipworm is truly biological marvel.
"It might well be monstrous, but that does not mean that it isn't marvelous," biologist Simon Watt said. "If you are down living among murky dirt, then aesthetics are surely not your number one priority."
See footage of the animal below.
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