Christmas tree worm

Spirobranchus giganteus

The Christmas tree worm is a small tube-building marine worm that lives embedded in coral. Its paired spiral crowns collect food and oxygen from the water.

Not a fish · an aquatic neighbor

Water

Saltwater

Tropical coral reefs, where it bores into or settles on living coral colonies.

Temperature

Range not established

A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources.

Size

Tube and crown generally up to about 4 cm (1.6 in) across

About the width of a large coin.

Lifespan

Not established in the wild

Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.

01 · Signature adaptation

What does it do?

It remains anchored in a tube that becomes integrated with the coral. The feathery crowns extend for feeding but retract quickly when shadows, contact, or vibrations signal danger.

Its superpowerIt can rapidly withdraw its feathery crowns into a protective calcareous tube.

02 · Home coordinates

Where does it live?

Tropical coral reefs in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian, and Pacific oceans.

Regions: Indo-Pacific · Caribbean Sea · tropical Atlantic · tropical Pacific

03 · The menu

What does it eat?

Its radioles trap suspended particles and move them toward the mouth.

Filter feeder: plankton, suspended organic particles.

04 · Remember this

Two wow facts

Two living trees

Its two spiral radiolar crowns resemble miniature decorated Christmas trees.

Sources [1]

Hide-and-seek worm

It can pull its crowns back into its tube when disturbed.

Sources [2]