AOTW #3 Not Your Everyday Christmas Tree (Spirobranchus giganteus)

Yes, that is correct, a Christmas tree. What does that have to do with AOTW? In the middle of MAY? There is an interesting little animal, which looks as if it was taken out of a Dr. Seuss book, called a Christmas tree worm. Why is it called a Christmas tree worm? Take a look for yourself!

See? It looks like a blue Dr. Seuss Christmas tree. But the funny thing about this natural beauty is that it has no relation whatsoever with plants in any way, shape (okay maybe shape), or form. This critter is actually a species of tube worm, a group of invertebrates which retract into its tube casing to avoid predators, and then comes back out to filter-feed upon plankton and small food particles floating in the water.

Christmas tree worms, or Spirobranchus giganteus, are very interesting and eye-catching to watch in nature, sometimes even in home aquariums. They anchor themselves on hard, live corals, to keep from being swept away by strong currents. In fact, most of the actual worm is burrowed inside the coral where it can't be seen from the outside. The part you see, the "plumes," or tentacles, are used for filter feeding. Each tentacle is adorned with hundreds of tiny fibers, kind of like feathers. They use their feathers like a... well, like a filter. That's where the term "filter feeding" comes from. They also use these plumes for respiration, like gills. 

This isn't necessarily a Christmas tree worm,
but it is a tube worm, and it has a very similar
anatomical structure. 

If you remember James Cameron's movie, Avatar, you might remember the part when Jake (the guy in an alien's body) finds a field of strange plants that look a lot like Christmas tree worms! In fact, they are alike in more ways than just looks. Just like the plants in Avatar, Christmas tree worms are extremely sensitive to any disturbances in the water or coral around them, and when they are disturbed, they fly right back down in their tubes before you can say "abracadabra." 

There is an odd (yet common) misconception about strange looking animals... Notice that my last AOTW, the Mola mola, was surprisingly very common in all tropical waters around the world. You can say the same about Spirobranchus giganteus, which lives on almost every tropical coral reef on earth! The truth about strange looking animals is not what humans think it is. People always rationalize by what they can see at any given moment, so we automatically think that something that looks abnormal is abnormal. That might be confusing, but abnormal pretty much means uncommon. Some of the most common animals on earth are REALLY funny looking. Something to think about the next time you look at an animal and say, "ew what an ugly creature" And besides, humans are weird, too! What other creeper animal do you know that has most of its hair on its head, walks using its heels and entire foot, uses their hands to pick stuff up, cooks food, wears clothes, and is probably the only animal (ooohhh i just called humans animals. That's what we are.) that kills other animals for both fun, and for emotional reasons. Just think about that the next time you see a spider, or a worm, or a mole, because some of the oddest looking animals are the most abundant. 

p.s. and be careful... they might just decide to start a rebellion. ;)