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The Bobbit Worm

Preview A couple inches wide and up to ten feet long, the bobbit worm stays hidden under tropical sands with just its five antennae poking out—waiting for prey to swim by.
(Flickr user JennyHuang)

There aren't any mummies or zombies buried under the seafloor: instead the ocean has its own terror from below, the bobbit worm (Eunice aphroditois). A couple inches wide and up to ten feet long, the bobbit worm stays hidden under tropical sands with just its five antennae poking out—waiting. When it senses prey above, it moves with speed and strength to grab them, sometimes splitting its fishy prey in half with its sharp teeth! It also injects them with a toxin to help break down its food to make it easier to digest.