"Flamboyant" New Squid Worm Surprises, Delights Experts

11-27-10, 05:31 PM

This think looks wicked sick.

Quote:

Scanning the depths off the Philippines in 2007, an undersea robot beamed back video of a worm—or was it a squid, or a worm eating a squid?—with spiraling appendages, iridescent "oars," and a feathery "nose."

"When the image came onto the screen, everyone said, Oh my gosh, what's that?" recalled marine zoologist Laurence Madin of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

Thanks to a new study co-authored by Madin, we now have the answer. The animal—as suspected—turned out to be a bizarrely bedecked marine worm totally new to science. (See marine-worm pictures.)

The paper, published Tuesday in the journal Biology Letters, describes the new species at length for the first time and officially christens the creature Teuthidodrilus samae, or "squid worm of the Sama"—the Sama being a culture with ties to Philippine islands not far from the discovery site.

Read more: http://bit.ly/e8l3aZ

Platapus · 11-27-10, 05:40 PM

What a beautiful creature. Never surprised at the beauty of nature.

Why explore the stars when there are life forms here on earth we still don't know about.

Task Force · 11-27-10, 05:44 PM

Very cool animal theyve got there.

GoldenRivet · 11-27-10, 06:01 PM

neat

I always wanted to know what was down there.

we have a long distance to cover in our journey of discovery

11-27-10, 06:25 PM

Goes to to show we know next to nothing about 70% of our planet ,it seems like every time there's a ocean research trip something new and/or weird is discovered

Armistead · 11-27-10, 06:28 PM

Dang, I bet largemouth bass would love those things.....

Wolfehunter · 11-27-10, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armistead

Dang, I bet largemouth bass would love those things.....

Or it the bass muahahaaa...

frau kaleun · 11-28-10, 12:30 AM

What a lovely picture. I'm sure I'll be seeing it again soon... in my nightmares.

papa_smurf · 11-28-10, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Why explore the stars when there are life forms here on earth we still don't know about.

True, we know more about space than the ocean depths.

11-27-10, 05:40 PM	#2
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	What a beautiful creature. Never surprised at the beauty of nature. Why explore the stars when there are life forms here on earth we still don't know about. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

11-27-10, 05:44 PM	#3
Task Force Rear Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: SPACE!!!! Posts: 10,142 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Very cool animal theyve got there. __________________ Task Force industries "Taking control of the world, one mind at a time"

11-27-10, 06:01 PM	#4
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	neat I always wanted to know what was down there. we have a long distance to cover in our journey of discovery __________________

11-27-10, 06:25 PM	#5
darius359au Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Goes to to show we know next to nothing about 70% of our planet ,it seems like every time there's a ocean research trip something new and/or weird is discovered

11-27-10, 06:28 PM	#6
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,880 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	Dang, I bet largemouth bass would love those things.....

11-28-10, 12:30 AM	#8
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	What a lovely picture. I'm sure I'll be seeing it again soon... in my nightmares.