Christmas tree worm (Spirographis gigantea). This worm lives in conical tube, which is often attached to coral. The feathery structures are gills, whi

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Christmas tree worm (Spirographis gigantea). This worm lives in conical tube, which is often attached to coral. The feathery structures are gills, which are covered in a sticky mucus. Food (mostly plankton) gets stuck on the gills and is funneled down to the worm's mouth. The gills also aid breathing for the worm.

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Size: 3460px × 5120px
Photo credit: © PETER SCOONES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, annelid, annelida, aquatic, backlit, biological, biology, christmas, coelenterate, dwelling, fauna, feather-, gigantea, gill, gills, herbivore, herbivorous, invertebrate, invertebrates, life, marine, mucus, nature, ocean, sea, spirographis, tantacle, tentacles, tree, tropical, tube, underwater, water, wildlife, worm, zoological, zoology