Spaghetti Worm

Photograph by Darlyne A. Murawski, National Geographic

This studio shot reveals a spaghetti worm’s body, which typically lies hidden in sediment or rocky crevices while its food-gathering tentacles wave overhead. Though the worm’s body is only 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, its tentacles may spread out over six times that length. Spaghetti worm tentacles employ grooves to channel small organic particles to the worm’s mouth, or simply grab and stuff larger morsels. If a tentacle is lost or snapped up by a fish, a new one can be grown to take its place.