Spotted: everyone's new favorite worm. 🐽🍑
This stubby celebrity is trending across the interwebs and we can see why! Our team first spotted the unusual pigbutt worm (Chaetopterus pugaporcinus) in 2001 and had a tough time determining how to categorize such a curious and tiny critter. At about the size of a hazelnut, it took the eagle eyes of our expert biologists to spot these miniature orbs in the massive ocean. In the lab, we saw that Chaetopterus pugaporcinus is segmented like other bristle worms. However, the segments are highly compressed in the front and back ends, while the midsection is greatly inflated, probably to help keep the animal afloat. Sequencing the pigbutt’s DNA established that they fit into the family Chaetopteridae. Members of this group of worms typically live attached to the seafloor in parchment-like tubes, although they do have a free-swimming larval stage. The mix of both larval and adult features seen in the pigbutt worm is certainly unusual. And if that wasn't extraordinary enough, we also learned that these incredible worms are bioluminescent! They produce blue light in their body tissues as well as green glowing mucous secretions, an adaptation that may be used to deter predators.
Learn more about these wonderful worms on our website.