Friday, February 05, 2016

Forgotten worms

I was tidying up my files, and found this batch of photos, stashed in the wrong folder since last year. I had been changing the water in the tank, with the assorted residents waiting in bowls and trays of water. A few worms hiding in empty barnacle shells got a whiff of the treats I'd put out for the hermits, and came out to see if they could snag a bite.

Head of polychaete

A different one, reaching.

Mouth, with jaws showing.

The polychaete worm has two black, chitinous jaws. Usually, they're hidden inside the mouth, which is retracted behind the palps and tentacles, but to feed, they reverse the order, pushing the jaws out in front.

Polychaete head with jaws everted. From U. of Cal, SC.


1 comment:

  1. You see the coolest stuff, and I love that you take the time to figure out just what you are seeing.

    ReplyDelete

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