Lurking deep within the bowels of the earth – quite literally – is Nereis sandersi – a deep ocean polychaete worm
Divers coming face to face with one of these horned devils would be in hot water both literally and metaphorically, as these deep ocean worms are found at depths of 2,600m at the edge of hydrothermal vents – also known as ‘black smokers’ – in the bowels of the oceans.
The vents are like hot springs that form along mid-ocean ridges where magma has risen and seawater has become superheated. As pressure builds, the hot, mineral-rich waters exit the oceanic crust and mix with the cool seawater above forming huge towers that support a wide variety of fauna. The worms feed on bacteria that live off the minerals released by the vents (a process known as chemosynthesis) and can grow to nearly 10cm in length.
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Seen here in a coloured scanning electron micrograph that shows a close-up of mouth parts, Nereis is a genus of polychaete worms in the family Nereidae, which comprises mainly marine species including sand worms and clam worms.
The worms use bristles visible on their exterior in order to crawl, and they spawn into the water. Upon fertilisation they have a larval stage similar to that of molluscs.
In the last 40 years scientists have discovered hundreds of species in these deep vents and have theorised that these ecosystems incubated the first life forms on earth.
