Here's something different - two images of a Bobbitt Worm. Isn't this one of the wierdest-looking things ever seen underwater?
It can occasionally be found in the Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida. It lives in holes in the rubble, and can be found sticking its head out at night. It is generally very shy and retreats when you shine your light on it, but some are very bold and have even attacked Nikonos V framers. This one became accustomed to my modeling light and allowed me to take several shots.
These shots were taken with the Fuji S2, 60mm lens, and an Inon ring strobe.
What great photos! Beng able to see worm shots like this is the reason I joined wetpixel - there's so much information to be gained from photographs of live animals. This particular critter is very similar to the animal identified as Eunice longisetis in Humann & Deloach 2002. Thanks for sharing these with us--
Leslie
Yep, I agree, the photo sharing potential is excellent!
I have had a few of these Eunicid polychaetes in reef aquaria and they never managed to catch and kill anything. THey are pretty fierce looking when they have their jaws open though, eh?
Dr. Ron Shimek has one over 18" long in his reef aquarium.
Cheers
James
Excellent pictures but that thing is really heinous looking
Weird? heinous looking? Uh, I think the more appropriate words are "beautiful", "spectacular", and "gorgeous" but I might be a tad bit prejudiced..... If you go to my section's URL http://www.nhm.org/research/annelida/index.html and then to the last page "learn more", you'll see a picture of a preserved 8-footer owned by the Smithsonian. It's not an entire worm if I remember right and there are references to specimens over 15 feet long.
Does anyone else have photos of these worms? I'm curious to see how many different species have been photographed. Linda's species is clearly different from the equally gorgeous one on Dave Harasti's web site.
Thanks, Leslie
15 foot long! Right, I am never going in the sea again! Alex
The big ones hang out at the bottom of Chandelier Caves in Palau, so stay off the bottom or you might get eaten!
At least thats what we told guests to keep em from kicking up silt...
For the sake of a good picture you guys are eager to jump in with sharks, barracudas, giant squid and deadly jellyfish, bait mantis shrimp to strike, hang around scorpionfish and stonefish, risk getting the air knocked out of you by whale flukes, and yet the 3" jaw spread of a measely (but beautiful) worm will keep you out of the water? Yeah, right!
Leslie
Yes, you've nailed it Leslie, most of us would rather go head to head with any of the creatures you mentioned than mess with a jawed worm!
