Fireworm Takes on Fire Coral

This bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) must have a strong stomach -- it’s sucking on fire coral (Millepora sp.), which would give the unlucky snorkeler a nasty sting. Encountered in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, the worm in this photo is about 15 cm (6 inches) long, but they can get up to twice that length. Those venom-filled bristles can break off in human skin, causing an intense burning sensation. More about coral reef species can be found in the Coral Reefs section.

Photograph of a bristly brown and white worm, with one end pressed against a pale green coral.
Allen G. Collins/NOAA

View Related Ocean Media Content

comment_wrapper_curve_top

Share your comments here.

* When you click submit, your comment will be added to the queue for review and will be published after approval.

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Filtered words will be replaced with the filtered version of the word.

More information about formatting options

Type the characters you see in this picture. (verify using audio)
Type the characters you see in the picture above; if you can't read them, submit the form and a new image will be generated. Not case sensitive.

Comments

I would love to see the

I would love to see the fireworm actually eating the coral!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/04/2010 - 4:08pm.

comment_wrapper_curve