About a month ago- a poster on LB posted about a bone eating worm. Doing a bit
of Googling- I found more info on the subject-
I have been trying to find the sponge/bryozoans mentioned in the same article as the Osedax.
Because the Osedax is a recent find- Moneterey Bay, Cali- there is not much available as yet but from the article below- Science Daily- re: the Whale carcass- the author describes the 200 + animals that live off each whale carcass for decades. I would image that the Osedax, which eats the whales bones, could be found with the sponge?
Osedax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Excerpt:
Osedax is a genus of deep-sea siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called zombie or bone-eating worms. Osedax is Latin for "bone-eating", the name alluding to how the worms bore into the bones of whale carcasses to reach enclosed lipids, on which they rely for sustanence. The genus was first discovered in Monterey Bay, California, in February 2002. They were found living in a decaying gray whale in the Monterey Canyon, at a depth of 2,800 m (9,100 feet) using the submarine ROV Tiburon.
Lacking stomach and mouth, Osedax rely on symbiotic species of bacteria to digest whale fat and oils and release nutrients that they can absorb. Osedax have colorful feathery plumes that act as gills, and unusual root-like structures that absorb nutrients. Between 50 and 100 microscopic dwarf males live inside a single female, and never develop past the larval stage.
end
Some images:
Osedax - Google Images
Research article citation:
G. W. Rouse, S. K. Goffredi, and R. C. Vrijenhoek, Osedax—bone-eating marine worms with dwarf males. 2004. Science. Vol. 305 #5684 (July 30, 2004).
20 years - Osedax, the bone-eating worms
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Excerpt:
MBARI - Whale-fall worm news release
Tam Tam spoke of 'feather-like' components- could the above be the source?
MBARI - Whale-fall worm news release
EMBARGOED: Not for release until Thursday, 29 July 2004 at 14:00 U.S. Eastern Time
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Whale carcass yields bone-devouring worms
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MOSS LANDING—Scientists studying a whale carcass in Monterey Canyon recently announced the discovery of two new species of unique worms that feed on the bones of dead whales. In the July 30 issue of Science, the researchers describe these worms, whose bodies and feeding strategies differ from those of any other known animal.
The worms have no eyes, legs, mouths, or stomachs, but they do have colorful feathery plumes and green "roots." They use the roots to infiltrate the bones of dead whales, digesting the fats and oils inside with the help of symbiotic bacteria. Marine biologist Greg Rouse, from the South Australian Museum, worked with scientists Shana Goffredi and Robert Vrijenhoek at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) to classify the new worms, placing them in a new genus called "Osedax," which is Latin for "bone devourer."
The reason that I mention all the above is this:
Deep Sea Buffet For Bone-devouring Worms
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Excerpt:
Dr Goffredi says: "Measures of significant population sizes, and the discovery of four additional host species in only three years, suggests that the Osedax worms and their bacterial 'partners' are likely to play substantial roles in the cycling of nutrients into the surrounding deep-sea community."