Osedax zombie worm (Photo : Facebook)
Worms just got worse! Researchers have discovered the behavior of a strange and shocking "zombie worm" species that eats bones instead of dirt. A new study reveals that the Osedax worms are 100 million years old and ate the dead bodies of prehistoric marine dinosaurs and whales.
When the gigantic reptile plesiosaurus became extinct 66 million years ago, the worms settled for the sloppy seconds of sea turtles. Then they consumed whales 20 million years later, according to BBC
A deep-sea robot first discovered the family of creepy worms in 2002. The machine was exploring the coast of California.
Nicholas Higgs, a study researcher, said that scientific studies of the deep sea have resulted in the discovery of "hundreds" of new species. The unusual zombie worm represents the "alien nature" life in the deep seas.
The zombie worms are some of the most horrific creatures that have lived on Earth. They can grow as long as a human's finger, and are living as far as 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) under the sea's surface, according to Daily Times Gazette.
Instead of a mouth and digestive system, the worms use thread-like tendrils to eat through bones and absorb collagen (protein) and lipids (natural molecules) in them. Bacteria inside the worms convert the compounds into energy.
The zombie worms were not picky eaters. Scientists found bore holes in pieces of plesiosaur fossils that might have been made by the creatures.
Silvia Danise, another study researcher, said that the zombie worms' huge menu might have had a "negative effect" on marine skeletons being saved. She explains that scientists must study the effect of the "Osedax effect" on marine fossils.
The researchers' findings about the gruesome worms are in the latest journal Biology Letters.
