4-foot Worm Found in Cornwall

Posted by Miss Cellania in Animal on March 18, 2009 at 11:52 am


Matt Slater, a curator at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, Cornwall, England and his team were puzzled at the wreck their carefully grown coral reef had become. After weeks of watching the reef fall apart, they decided to take it apart to find the culprit. What they found was a giant reef worm!

“It really does look like something out of a horror movie! It’s over four feet long with these bizarre-looking jaws. Having done some research we also discovered that it is covered with thousands of bristles which are capable of inflicting a sting resulting in permanent numbness’.”

Matt believes it probably arrived as a juvenile in a delivery of living rock from another aquarium.

After being carefully removed the worm – which has been nicknamed ‘Barry’ by staff – has been re-located into its own tank, safely away from the coral.

Link -via Arbroath


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11 comments to "4-foot Worm Found in Cornwall"

  1. Johnny Cat
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

    Let's all welcome our new coral-destroying worm overlords.

  2. Scooter
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    so maybe this is where all the coral reefs are going.

  3. Lupus
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    My tapeworm could take his ass anyday...

  4. Lupus
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    My tapeworm just reminded me that while "tapeworm" is, indeed, one word, the phrase "any day" is most definitely two. Thanks, Tapey! Let's go eat some pork!

  5. Gauldar
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    If you only knew the horrors that lurked inside of those pretty coral reefs.

  6. drstrange32
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    "Having done some research we also discovered that it is covered with thousands of bristles which are capable of inflicting a sting resulting in permanent numbness"

    Which really means that Barry grabbed the sucker and his hands went numb. Oops! I mean great discovery, Barry.

  7. SenorMysterioso
    March 18th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    creepy

  8. SydneyClaire
    March 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    Too funny, SM! I just emailed this to my husband with the subject line 'Creepy'..

  9. Oomi
    March 18th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    Tremors!

    Man, I can barely look that that thing without getting creeped out. *shows goosebumps*

  10. Namowal
    March 18th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    In my tropical fish shop days we had to deal with smaller versions of these bastards. Typically they hide by day and chew up the reef at night. They sting too. You can even buy a special trap for catching them, but I never saw one big enough to catch the big guy.

  11. Christophe
    March 18th, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    A good big game fishing lure!


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