Imagine this: a channel so narrow and shallow that a single tide can unleash an astonishing 200 billion gallons of water, creating a tumultuous display of standing waves, whirlpools, and currents surging at 16 knots (18 mph or 30 kph). READ MORE…
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Each worm has two crowns or Christmas Trees. The worms come in a myriad of colours, but a worm's two crowns are always the same colour.
Christmas Tree Worm in the Red Sea. Jill Studholme
3. They breath using their Christmas Trees
As well as being important for respiration, the feathery trees also waft food down to the mouth.
Close up to Christmas in Bonaire. John A. Anderson/DepositPhotos
4. They are very choosy where they live
Different species of Christmas Tree Worms are very selective where they live. The larger ones often choosing a specific species of coral. Smaller species might also choose artificial substrates as their home.
Boracay Island Philippines. PauloViolas/DepositPhotos
5. They protect the coral
The worms are important for the health of coral reefs and help protect corals from invasive sea stars whilst also preventing the coral being overgrown with algae.
John A. Anderson/DepositPhotos
6. At sign of danger they whisk down into the coral
On sensing danger, the worm quickly retracts its crown into its tube in the coral and closes the entrance with a trapdoor called an operculum. It will stay down there for about a minute, before re-emerging very slowly to check that the danger has gone.
Red Sea Christmas Tree Worm, by Jill Studholme
7. Some are male and some are female
There are both male and female Christmas tree worms.
Christmas Tree Worm by Tim Nicholson
8. They live all around the world in tropical seas
They're easy to find and very photogenic, making them great subjects for macro photography. As long as you have the patience to wait and not disturb them into shooting back into their tubes. You might see them down to depths of 30 m.
Christmas Tree Worm in Solomon Islands. Carol Buchanan/DepositPhotos
9. There are several species
Although often identified as Spirobranchus giganteus, there are several different species. S. giganteus lives in the Caribbean. In the Indo-Pacific S. corniculatus and other species take over.
Christmas Tree Worm on a night dive. Photo: Kelpfish/DepositPhotos
References and Further Reading
Eijiroh Nishi, Moritaka Nishihira. Age-estimation of the Christmas Tree Worm Spirobranchus giganteus (Pomlychaeta, Serpulidae) Living Buried in the Coral Skeleton from the Coral-growth Band of the Host Coral. https://doi.org/10.2331/fishsci.62.400
Diving for All: A New Wave in Resort Accessibility It's never been easy for people with disabilities to learn to dive. But the tide is turning, and there's a splash of good news: the UK boasts three dive resorts certified to offer adaptive services. But hey, why stop there? More resorts can dive into action and revamp their spaces to welcome divers of all abilities, from designing user-friendly facilities to rolling out services for a diverse clientele.
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Photo credits: Daniel Lamborn/DepositPhotos, Nirupam Nigam, Tim Nicholson, Jill Studholme
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