Giant reef worm (Eunice aphroditois)
This worm can reach 1 metre or longer! Although it looks fierce and scary, it is a scavenger and eats seaweed too. But it can give a nasty bite so do leave it alone.
Corny joke: It has a face that only a mother could love!
Hints for HermitsGiant reef worms are particularly common on Sentosa. They usually live in the large piles of coral rubble, zooming out to snatch a mouthful of seaweed or other titbit before retracting immediately into their hiding places.
Flatworms are ...err... really flat! This large (8-10cm) black flatworm with little spots (Acanthozoon sp.) is commonly seen. It can swim by flapping the sides of its body!
Hints for HermitsFlatworms are EXTREMELY fragile and will disintegrate if handled. They move very quickly too and can disappear in an instant into some crevice.
Bristleworms (Class Polychaeta) are very bristley indeed. Some have glass-like bristles that introduce painful toxins into the skin. These worms are sometimes called fire worms.
Hints for HermitsBristleworms are sometimes seen in numbers, especially early in the morning. They move actively about. Needless to say, we shouldn't touch them!
Fanworms (Family Sabellidae) Some worms are beautiful! A fanworm has a long wormy body that is tucked into a leathery tube. At the top of its head, there is a feathery fan made up of modified tentacles.
Hints for HermitsFanworms are found among coral rubble, sometimes in living corals. They are very shy and will instantly disappear at the slightest sign of danger. Have your visitors keep still (avoid casting shadows or splashing around) and the worm might come out again.
1 comment:
Those are really neat worms, never seem any like those.
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