Glittery ‘Elvis Worms’
About those worms—they’re what’s known as Peinaleopolynoe orphanae scale worm, which (adorably) means “hungry scale worms” in Greek. These types of worms, also referred to as “glitter worms” due to their colorful appearance, were only officially documented last year. But the researchers have an even more incredible moniker for them.
“Our nickname for them was Elvis worms because they look like sequins on an Elvis jumpsuit,” Scripps marine biologist and study researcher Greg Rouse told Inside Science last year. These worms apparently will jump at any chance for a fight. Video taken from the 2018 Schmidt expedition shows blue scale worms engaged in a weird aggressive dance with each other, with one seemingly trying to take a bite out of the other.
