Skip to content

Rosy Acorn Worm

Photo: NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022
Photo: NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022

Speaking of poop, this rosy acorn worm is carting around a whole lot of it in its long, trailing intestine. The worms are “deposit feeders,” meaning they munch of all the sediment and organic matter that no one else wants at the bottom of the ocean.

Their digestion process is transparent to an unorthodox degree, as their see-through bodies allow a clear view into their full guts. The trait is such a hallmark that the invertebrate is sometimes called the “spiral poop worm.”