#king ragworm

[chunkfunkgunk-offishal]

king ragworm please! not fish but they are sea dwelling

Today on CHUNK! FUNK! GUNK! We rate

the KING RAGWORM:

5/10 Chunk

8/10 Funk

7/10 Gunk

Woaahh!! Very cool little guy! I’d heard of rag worms before, but I hadn’t seen one until today! They’re not super chunky, but they have a girth to them. Ragworms generally look pretty similar to me (based on my googling lmao) but it seems that these guys are the most colorful, so they can get some extra funk on top of their already funky ragworm status! They appear to secrete mucous and use it to line their burrows, gunky.

Overall: 7/10

Pretty cool! Very squiggly and loopy.

*･゜ﾟ･* :.｡. .｡.:*･' >* ))))>< '･*:.｡ . .｡.: *･゜ﾟ･*

Also, in my brief google research phase of creating this post; I found a website that I think you may enjoy if you like the casual energy of CHUNK! FUNK! GUNK!

⚠️ I can’t speak for the safety of the website, however. ⚠️

King Ragworm

Image: Alexander Semenov Alitta virens / Nereis virens King Ragworm! It sounds like one of Fagin's street-names but it really is a wo

[onenicebugperday]

@robotzebra​ submitted: I know that this blog doesn't normally deal with sea-creatures but I thought you might make an exception for this unit of a worm. This is a polychaete worm called Alitta virens also known as a sandworm or a king ragworm. This one, found at the swedish Westcoast, was about 45 cm long.

Fun fact: it's little paddle-like appendages is called parapodia and in addition to using them to move around they also function as gills.

I will absolutely make an exception because I love this long dude. 45cm??? A large friend. Incredible tube. A+ foot paddle gills.

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

An illustration of a sandworm (aka “king ragworm”) from William Carmichael McIntosh‘s A monograph of the British marine annelids v. 2, pt. 2 (1910). The worm is labeled Nereis virens in the text, which is an older scientific name for the species now known as Alitta virens.

Full text with many other illustrations here.

[b3grim3d]

worm!!!!!

[b3grim3d]

MERFOLK, HAND THEM OVER

ohgod ohfuck 

uhhHHHH im making 3 more

[lizardking90]

The gorgeous king ragworm is a skilled hunter found in the northern hemisphere. The worm, which can grow over 120 cm long, also uses chemical signals to judge the risk of predation in the area.

-sciencealert

[animaltoday]

King Ragworm

[animaltoday]

King Ragworm or Sandworm (Alitta virens) - \

A ragworm is an annelid worm that burrows in ocean sand.  This multicolored sea worm can grow up to 4 feet long.  Its body is segmented like a centipede, with a pair of parapodia which also function as external gills, on each segment.  It lives in shallow waters and has a unique way of feeding.

It lines its burrow with a sticky mucus, and seals the top of it with a web-like covering.  Then it waves its flat body to create currents that pull tiny prey onto its trap.  It eats the mucus to recycle it.  They also feed on seaweed.  

Addressing the fangs- it has a hidden pair of fangs which extends out of its mouth that are used for defense as well as feeding on carcasses or seaweed.  These fangs are made of an extremely durable and lightweight material.  It is composed of a type of amino acid (histidine) rich protein and zinc ions. Scientists are currently researching this as a possible new resource material. 

The sandworm is a common bait for fisherman.  In 2006 high demand caused a rapid decline almost put this worm in danger, but for now its numbers are relatively stable.