Acorn worm

Source: Discover Magazine

Here’s another interesting animal documented in the 2016 deep sea exploration in the Marianas Trench, an enteropneust or commonly known as the ‘acorn worm’. This worm leaves behind spiral deposits in the mud. The front end of these animals is shaped like an acorn, hence the name (who would have guessed, right?) and consists of a proboscis and collar that is likely uses to burrow. It ingests sediment and filters out nutrients much like an earthworm. This specimen was pictured at the bottom of the ocean in the Sirena Canyon.

an acorn worm in the process of leaving behind its characteristic fecal coil on the bottom of the ocean. Image courtesy of the NOAA office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas

An acorn worm in the process of leaving behind its characteristic fecal coil on the bottom of the ocean. Image courtesy of the NOAA office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas

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