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Ice worm/Polychaete worm
Hesiocaeca methanicola
These bizarre polychaete worms live on mounds of methane ice, deep on the ocean seabed. Methane ice forms when gasses escaping from the seabed, turn to solids in the high pressure, low temperature conditions of the deep-sea. The existence of these 'ice worms' was only discovered in 1997.
Statistics
Ice worms are 2-5cm (0.7-2in) long.
Physical Description
They are small pink worms, with rows of tentacle-like hairs down their sides, which they use like oars for crawling and swimming.
Distribution
They are only known to exist in the hydrocarbon seeps, at 600-800m depth, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat
The worms live in mounds of methane ice, formed when gases (such as methane and hydrogen sulphide) seep from the seabed. Due to the immense pressure and cold of the deep sea these gases form ice-like solids called gas hydrates. Until recently, these ice mounds were only thought to support bacterial life.
Diet
They are thought to eat the bacteria that feed on methane ice.
Behaviour
The worms burrow into the methane ice and guard it from intruders. As this is a newly discovered species, little more is known about their behaviour.
Reproduction
Polychaete worms typically reproduce sexually, males and females releasing sperm and eggs into the sea where fertilisation occurs.
Conservation status
Ice worms were only discovered in 1997 and there is still much to learn about their biology.
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