Facts: The Peacock Worm

The peacock worm is a filter-feeding marine polychaete worm that can be found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, especially along the coasts of northwest Europe. These worms inhabit shallow water. They are long and slender, with many segments. Each male or female worm lives permanently in a smooth, flexible, muddy tube that projects above the substratum. The worm's head projects from the tube during feeding and bears a feathery crown of tentacles. This feathery crown helps the peacock worm to feed and breathe. The crown is banded in various colors such as red, brown, and purple. The crown contains up to 10 bands of pigment. The tentacles are coated with a thin layer of sticky mucus that catches any bits of food floating past. As water passes through the tentacles, small particles of food trapped in the sticky mucus are passed down to the mouth in the crown's center with the help of rows of tiny, beating hairs called cilia. Large particles are rejected, and some particles are added to the worm's tube structure with mucus. The tube can be 10 inches long. The tube keeps the delicate crown away from the seabed. Peacock worms can be found solitary or close together in clumps. They are present in both intertidal and subtidal areas, often partially buried in seagrass beds and mixed sediments of shell, gravel, and mud. They may also attach to man-made structures or rocks. The highest densities have been found growing in muddy gravel in fairly sheltered shores. Their tentacles disappear quickly into their tube if danger is present. They grow the largest in plankton-rich areas. For more marine facts, click the SUBSCRIBE button!!