Scientists have confirmed the existence of a terrifying zombie worm that lives at the bottom of the deep sea. The worm, officially called Osedax, was originally believed to be a plant; however, scientists were left in shock when a deep-diving robot brought up samples of the specimen. The “plant” was instead a zombie worm that feeds on the bones of animal carcasses that sink to the bottom of the sea.
Meet the zombie worms that live at the bottom of the sea
Once they knew that the zombie worms existed, scientists started looking for them more. Because they’d been found on bodies of dead animals at the bottom of the sea, they drug whale carcasses and other dead animals out and sank them to the bottom. Then, they waited weeks, months, and even years before returning and dragging them out.
Greg Rouse, a member of the team working with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says that wherever they put bones, the worms appeared. Rouse was also one of the original team members that found and described Osedax.
So far, scientists have discovered 30 different species of zombie worms worldwide. These species include the Osedax fenrisi, first found near a hydrothermal vent in the Arctic. There’s also the bone-eating snot flower, which was first found near Sweden. Everywhere that the scientists look, they continue to find these bone-eating creatures.
The worms also seem to vary in size, just as they vary in type. Some are the length of a pinky finger, and some are smaller than an eyelash. Scientists s