Giant tubeworms living in the deep ocean that have no mouth or stomach, so they can't eat. Instead, they rely on bacteria within them to provide them sustenance. The juveniles do have mouths and stomachs, and swim around. At the point of maturity, they attach themselves to the bottom of the ocean, and their mouth and stomach disappear.

Previously, scientists thought that the bacteria got into the stomach of the juveniles through the mouth. Now, new research has shown that the bacteria actually infect the baby tubeworms through their skin, like an infection.

Read more about it here:

http://live.psu.edu/story/17963

News previous forum topic | next forum topic | email this page | 3007 reads