Bone Eating Worm - Osedax

I have come across some interesting articles on the Bone eating worm, and I would like to share with you guys.

This genus with the name of 'Osedax' was discovered in Febrary 2002 at Monterey Bay, Carlifornia. The species was first discovered on decaying whale and it was named after its habit of feeding on bones of animals.

Osedax

This bone eating worm is approximately 1 to 2cm in length. It has pinkish, feathery plumes that act as gills to enable Osedax to acquire oxygen under the sea. The worm itself does not have mouth and stomach, thus it has to rely on a type of bacteria which breaks down fats inside the bone and transfer the nutrients to the worm.

Female worm

Male worm

In the case of mosquitoes, only females suck blood; for this bone eating worm, only the females eat bone. Then, where do the males go?

The most amazing part about the worms is their reproductive system. Grown up females can be around 2cm in sizes, while the males are of microscopic sizes. The males live inside the females! The females and males differ in morphology in an extreme way, the females resemble a flower, while the males' appearance do not change much after larva stage. Sometimes, about 50 to 100 males are living inside one female worm, next to the oviduct. The sperms compete to fertilize the eggs, which will be released at the pinkish feathery top of the female worms.