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"James Bond"-like worms discovered in the deep sea
8.20.09 - What sounds like a gadget that was developed by Q in a James Bond movie is actually a gadget that was developed by nature and is used by a newly discovered species of worms. Karen Osborn of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California and colleagues discovered seven new species of worms that blind their predators when attacked.
By using remotely operated vehicles, researchers found seven previously unknown species of swimming annelid worms below 1800 meters. When in danger the worm throws "Green Bombs" that blind the attacking animal. By the time the predator's eyes adjust back to the darkness of the deep sea the worm is long gone.


Nickname: Green Bomber


Ranging in size from three-fourths of an inch to nearly four inches, the worms live at depths of 5,900 feet to more than 12,000 feet. About 2 millimeters across, the glowing bombs are actually modified gills that consist of four chambers, likely holding apart fluids that react when they come into contact with each other to create light. Each worm has eight appendages for holding the sacs. When released, the sacs glow green for about a minute, Osborn reports. "It's a different chemistry than has been found in other polychaete worms in the same phylum," she says. She presumes the worms drop the bombs as a way of distracting predators.


Glowing bombs are actually modified gills


Although some worms drop appendages during reproduction and others use bioluminescence, "these two features were never found in combination until now," says Struck. The find drives home that even "simple" worms have sophisticated behavior, he says. And given that the researchers have found these creatures on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, Struck says, there are probably many more varieties out there, lighting up the sea as they go.

Their discovery "is a substantial increase in annelid biodiversity," says Torsten Struck, a marine biologist at the University of Osnabrück in Germany. The find drives home that even "simple" worms have sophisticated behavior, he says. And given that the researchers have found these creatures on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, Struck says, there are probably many more varieties out there, lighting up the sea as they go.

The report of the researcher team is published in the magazine "Science" (Vol. 325, S.964).



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