Giant tube worm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Giant tube worm
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Annelida
Class:	Polychaeta
Family:	Siboglinidae
Genus:	Riftia
Binomial name
Riftia pachyptila M.L. Jones, 1981

The giant tube worm (Riftia pachyptila) is an amazing annelid, which is a type of segmented worm. These fascinating creatures live deep down on the ocean floor, mostly in the Pacific Ocean. You can find them near special spots called hydrothermal vents, often close to "black smokers." These are like underwater chimneys that release super hot, chemical-rich water.

Giant tube worms can handle extremely hot temperatures and high levels of sulfur. They have a very special way of getting their food. They live in a close partnership, called symbiosis, with tiny bacteria. These bacteria help the worms survive in their harsh environment.

Where Do They Live?

Giant tube worms make their homes in the deep ocean, far away from sunlight. They are often found around hydrothermal vents. These vents are cracks in the Earth's crust that release hot water filled with chemicals. The worms attach themselves to rocks or other surfaces near these vents.

The water around these vents can be very hot, sometimes over 300 degrees Celsius (570 degrees Fahrenheit). However, the worms themselves live in cooler water, usually around 2 to 10 degrees Celsius (35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). They are able to survive because they are adapted to the extreme pressure and lack of light in the deep sea.

How Do They Eat? (Symbiosis)

Giant tube worms have a unique way of getting food because they don't have a mouth or a gut as adults. Instead, they rely completely on tiny bacteria that live inside their bodies. This special partnership is called chemosynthesis.

When a tube worm is young, it takes in bacteria through its mouth. As the worm grows older, its mouth and gut seal up. This traps the bacteria inside a special organ called the trophosome. The bacteria then use chemicals from the hydrothermal vents, like hydrogen sulfide, along with oxygen, to create food. This process is similar to how plants use sunlight to make food (photosynthesis), but it uses chemicals instead of light. The worms then absorb these organic molecules made by the bacteria, which gives them all the energy and nutrients they need to grow.

Amazing Adaptations

Giant tube worms can grow very large, sometimes over 2.4 meters (8 feet) long. Their bodies are covered by a tough, white tube that they build themselves. This tube protects them from predators and the harsh environment.

At the top of the worm's body is a bright red plume. This plume is full of blood and acts like gills, taking in oxygen and chemicals from the water. If the worm senses danger, it can quickly pull its red plume back into its protective tube. The red color comes from a special type of hemoglobin in their blood, which helps them carry oxygen and sulfide to the bacteria inside them.

These worms show how life can thrive in even the most extreme places on Earth, proving that sunlight isn't always needed for life to exist.

Images for kids

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  DSV Alvin, the Navy research submarine

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  Hydrothermal vent tubeworms get organic compounds from bacteria that live in their trophosome.

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  R. pachyptila community with extroflexion of red branchial plume

See also

In Spanish: Gusano de tubo gigante para niños