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The Squidworm - A New Species

Preview The squidworm has 10 tentacle-like appendages on its head.
(L. Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. (WHOI) (www.cmarz.org))

In the Coral Triangle, a biodiverse area between Indonesia and the Philippines, scientists discovered this swimming polychaete (bristly worm), which they have dubbed the "squidworm." Using a remotely operated vehicle, the researchers with the Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ), a project of the Census of Marine Life, dove 1.8 miles (2,800 meters) to first discover Teuthidodrilus samae in 2007. The squidworm is named such because of its 10 tentacle-like appendages on its head, which are each longer than its whole body. It uses these to collect particles and detritus falling through the water, often called "marine snow," for food. See more photos of cool zooplankton collected by the researchers in this zooplankton biodiversity slideshow.