Sunday, May 1, 2011

Random Thought of the Day

And the winner for weirdest invertebrate is...


the Pigbutt Worm, or Chaetopterus pugaporcinus which quite literally translates to "worm that resembles a pig's rear."


The animal is a deep sea critter (3,000-4,000 feet) about the size of a hazelnut. Those "cheek-like" balloons are actually inflated segments of the worm's body. The duck-billed portion is the mouth-end...I think.


Other members of the genus Chaetopterus are tube-dwelling worms which has led scientists at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to hypothesize that the critter seen here is in fact the animal's larval form.

Note: this is not a worm that resides in a pig's butt. For that, see Taenia solium.

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