Let's hope that no mad scientists discover an augmentation ray, because I would not like this hydrothermal worm to be the size of a whale. Heck, I don't even want it to be the size of a striped bass.
The image was taken by a Quanta Scanning Electron Microscope, which can magnify things up to one million times. The microscopic beast is a worm found in a hydrothermal vent, an Earth fissure that puts water and hot gasses in contact, generating rich life environments. Worms like this don't have a digestive tract, but bacteria that transforms hemoglobin into carbon compounds. The worm can absorb the carbon compounds directly.
Advertisement
Yes, there are vampire bacteria living inside the worms. The world is a wonderful place. [FEI]