Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Christmas Tree Feather Worm

Spirobranchus giganteus

Description:

Photo take at -40 ft o a coral reef another beauty orange color anchored to a brain coral. Christmas tree-shaped tube-dwelling worms with magnificent twin spirals of plumes used for feeding and respiration. These cone-shaped worms are one of the most widely recognized sedentary polychaete worms . They come in many colors including orange, yellow, blue, and white and, though they are small with an average 3.8 cm in span, they are easily spotted due to their shape, beauty, and color. The colorful plumes, or tentacles, are used for passive feeding on suspended food particles and plankton in the water. The plumes are also used for respiration.They are very sensitive to disturbances and will rapidly retract into their burrows at the slightest touch or passing shadow.

Habitat:

Most of these worms is anchored in their burrows that they bore into live calcareous coral. Found on coral reefs in tropical waters worldwide.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

No Comments

Gerardo Aizpuru
Spotted by
Gerardo Aizpuru

Mexico

Spotted on Dec 16, 2012
Submitted on Dec 16, 2012

Related Spottings

Christmas tree worms Christmas tree worm Christmas tree worm Orange Christmas Tree Worm

Nearby Spottings

Sand Tilefish Dasher Beach Almond Slim Mexican Mantis
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team