Predatory worms. The Bobbit Worm is a rainbow-colored monster from the deep. Thus, a predatory desert worm that spits poison and beats with current is no joke to you. But careful preparation will make the worm attack less dangerous.
Eunice aphrodite(Eunice aphroditois) is a predatory marine polychaete worm that uses chitinous antennae (antennas) to find prey, and powerful chitinous jaws to capture and cut prey tissues. The worm was first described as Nereis aphroditois by the Russian scientist Pallas (Pallas, 1788). It lives in many tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Indonesia and the Philippines. The length of the worm, according to confirmed reports, can reach 2-3 meters.
Aphrodite spends most of Eunice's time under the surface of the sand on coral slopes and shallow lagoons. Hunts at night, rests during the day. During the hunt, the worm protrudes from the sand by 20-30 centimeters, and can completely leave the den. At the same time, having captured the prey, he immediately drags it into his hole under the surface of the sand. Often the objects of hunting are more massive than the predator itself, but few manage to escape.
Our hero periodically becomes a headache for aquarists. While purchasing coral, algae and fish for their impressive marine aquariums, they often overlook the tiny worm that has uninvitedly settled in with new acquisitions. And for a long time they do not suspect what an amazing creature they received for free - after all, the worm goes hunting only at night. But it grows very fast - and in two years reaches a length of 7 feet - more than two meters. And the traces of his night walks can no longer be invisible. Dead fish, damaged corals. And a mysterious killer who can hide in aquarium pipes during the day.
In English, our worm has been given the familiar name "Bobbit Worm - Bobbit Worm", this name reflects its reputation as a ruthless predator with sharply sharpened murder weapons. Here is the turn of historical reference.
Franken Penis. On a stuffy night on June 23, 1993, John Wayne Bobbit was returning home from a friendly drinking bout. At home - in the city of Manasas (Virginia), he woke his sleeping wife and raped her, despite violent protests. This behavior was familiar to him, he calmly fell asleep after intercourse. And he did not suspect that he would soon become famous throughout the country, and this glory would be a terrible price.
Lorena Bobbitt walked into the kitchen, picking up a sharp knife. She returned to the bedroom to her sleeping husband and cut off about half of his penis. Running out of the house, she got into the car and drove wherever her eyes looked. Stopping the car, threw a member in the field and drove on. But gradually realizing the seriousness of the act, she called the emergency service by phone 911 and reported what had happened. After a long search, the long-suffering member was found, put on ice and taken to the hospital. The operation lasted nine and a half hours and ended in success - the member took root. The subsequent trial ended for Lorena with a sentence of 45 days of community service.
John Bobbit subsequently unsuccessfully tried to capitalize on the sad and ambiguous fame that had fallen on him. He organized musical groups, played in porn films, one of which was symbolically called "Franken Penis".
Jokes are jokes, but the appearance of the hero of our story really corresponds to the reputation. We dived in the famous Secret Cove in Anilao (Batangas Province) in the Philippines. At a depth of only 6 meters, the guide showed me with a sign to turn off my bright lantern. Switching to the red focusing light, I swam closer to our new friend, was able to get a good look at him and take a few photos. Bobbit was completely calm about red light, and did not hide in a hole even after a flash. The mother-of-pearl sheen on the curves of his body, similar to a corrugated hose, attracts attention.
In conclusion, it remains to wish the readers - when meeting with our marine worm, you should not try to touch or stroke it. And for men - do not swim above it closer than a couple of meters above the ground. In order not to inadvertently evoke the rebellious and proud spirit of Lorena Bobbit in the night.
Here is a story: The so-called Bobbit Worm, accidentally got into the Newray Aquarium (England) and ate a bunch of fish there in one night, some sources claim that this worm ate all the inhabitants of the aquarium. The killer was named Barney and was about a meter (4 feet) long. Dangerous creature.
And the friends became interested in what kind of maritime miracle it is and is it not dangerous to swim in the seas-okiyans today? Let's take a closer look at this outlandish inhabitant of the depths of the sea. And Andrey Ryansky will help us with this, we listen to his story:
With this legendary predator, the nightmare of the Indo-Pacific, I was familiar from books. Helmut Debelius so vividly described his encounters with this sea worm in Secret Bay (Indonesia, Bali) that I included this place in my list of priorities for future trips. But our meeting took place earlier. Philippines - in this country you can find everything - and a little more. But first, a brief scientific background.
Eunice aphrodite (Eunice aphroditois) is a predatory marine polychaete worm that uses chitinous antennae (antennas) to find prey, and powerful chitinous jaws to capture and cut prey tissue. The worm was first described as Nereis aphroditois by the Russian scientist Pallas (Pallas, 1788). It lives in many tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Indonesia and the Philippines. The length of the worm, according to confirmed reports, can reach 2-3 meters.
Aphrodite spends most of Eunice's time under the surface of the sand on coral slopes and shallow lagoons. Hunts at night, rests during the day. During the hunt, the worm protrudes from the sand by 20-30 centimeters, and can completely leave the den. At the same time, having captured the prey, he immediately drags it into his hole under the surface of the sand. Often the objects of hunting are more massive than the predator itself, but few manage to escape.
Our hero periodically becomes a headache for aquarists. While purchasing coral, algae and fish for their impressive marine aquariums, they often overlook the tiny worm that has uninvitedly settled in with new acquisitions. And for a long time they do not suspect what an amazing creature they got for free - after all, the worm goes hunting only at night. But it grows very fast - and in two years reaches a length of 7 feet - more than two meters. And the traces of his night walks can no longer be invisible. Dead fish, damaged corals. And a mysterious killer who can hide in aquarium pipes during the day.
In English, our worm has been given the familiar name "Bobbit Worm - Bobbit Worm", this name reflects its reputation as a ruthless predator with sharply sharpened murder weapons. Here is the turn of historical reference.
FrankenPenis. On a stuffy night on June 23, 1993, John Wayne Bobbit was returning home from a friendly drinking bout. At home - in the city of Manasas (Virginia), he woke his sleeping wife and raped her, despite violent protests. This behavior was familiar to him, he calmly fell asleep after intercourse. And he did not suspect that he would soon become famous throughout the country, and this glory would be a terrible price.
Lorena Bobbitt walked into the kitchen, picking up a sharp knife. She returned to the bedroom to her sleeping husband and cut off about half of his penis. Running out of the house, she got into the car and drove wherever her eyes looked. Stopping the car, threw a member in the field and drove on. But gradually realizing the seriousness of the act, she called the emergency service by phone 911 and reported what had happened. After a long search, the long-suffering member was found, put on ice and taken to the hospital. The operation lasted nine and a half hours and ended in success - the member took root. The subsequent trial ended for Lorena with a sentence of 45 days of community service.
John Bobbit subsequently unsuccessfully tried to capitalize on the sad and ambiguous fame that had fallen on him. He organized musical groups, played in porn films, one of which was symbolically called "FrankenPenis"
Jokes are jokes, but the appearance of the hero of our story really corresponds to the reputation. We dived in the famous Secret Cove in Anilao (Batangas Province) in the Philippines. At a depth of only 6 meters, the guide showed me with a sign to turn off my bright lantern. Switching to the red focusing light, I swam closer to our new friend, was able to get a good look at him and take a few photos. Bobbit was completely calm about red light, and did not hide in a hole even after a flash. The mother-of-pearl sheen on the curves of his body, similar to a corrugated hose, attracts attention.
Having completed the photo session, I regretted that we didn’t have some tasty treats for Bobbit with us - fish or shrimp. He was so calmly photographed - and it would be interesting to try to capture the moment of throwing for prey. However, later I watched the videos, which filmed the moments of the attack of our terminator worm on a scorpionfish and an octopus. And I realized that I would have to make a lot of attempts to film the very moment of the attack - it is so lightning fast.
In conclusion, it remains to wish the readers - when meeting with our marine worm, you should not try to touch or stroke it. And for men - do not swim above it closer than a couple of meters above the ground. In order not to inadvertently evoke the rebellious and proud spirit of Lorena Bobbit in the night :)
Here is a story: The so-called Bobbit Worm, accidentally got into the Newray Aquarium (England) and ate a bunch of fish there in one night, some sources claim that this worm ate all the inhabitants of the aquarium. The killer was named Barney and was about a meter (4 feet) long. Dangerous creature.
They threaten agriculture
Worms of the genus Bipalium, which were previously almost never found in Europe, now live in France in large numbers. It is assumed that the “invasion” began a long time ago, but only now a group of scientists led by Jean-Loup Justine from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris has paid attention to this.
Bipalium predatory worms sometimes reach more than half a meter in length and are distinguished by an unusual "shovel-shaped" head. They feed on earthworms as well as insects, snails and other small prey, paralyzing them with a toxin called tetrodotoxin. Although this poison is also dangerous for humans, mainly these predators threaten the well-being of people not directly, but indirectly. They significantly affect the composition of the fauna that inhabits the soil, thereby having a negative impact on agriculture - this has previously happened, including in Ireland and Scotland, where such worms came from New Zealand.
At the same time, it is still a mystery to specialists how the worms got to France. At the same time, Jean-Loup Justine is especially surprised that for a long time this was not noticed by government departments, which are responsible for monitoring the ecology of soils. The French scientist himself learned about the "invasion" of Bipalium after a picture of this worm was sent to him by an amateur naturalist who discovered the animal in his own garden. After that, Justine and his colleagues asked people from all over the country to tell him if they had seen similar worms. The scientist's fellow citizens responded to his request and sent many photographs. As it turned out, Bipalium began to spread across France back in the 90s of the last century, and they can most often be seen in the southern part of the country. To the question of whether this has significantly affected agriculture at this point, experts are not yet ready to answer.
Inquisitive oceanologists tirelessly try to cognize that huge mysterious world, into which even sunlight does not penetrate, which, contrary to the previously prevailing opinion about emptiness, never ceases to amaze with the diversity of living beings. One of these amazing creatures is a three-meter killer worm that lives at the bottom of the oceans.
In the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans at a depth of 10-40 m, you can find the purple Australian worm, it is also known to science under the Latin name Eunice aphroditois. Another of his names comes from the English verb to bobbit (“shred”, “cut”).
This predatory polychaete worm reaches a length of 3 meters, while remaining quite thin, the thickness of the creature along the entire length does not exceed 2.5 centimeters.
The purple worm leads an exclusively predatory lifestyle. Its entire body is hidden in sea silt, only its head occasionally rises above the surface in search of prey. The worm searches for a victim with the help of chitinous antennae, and uses its powerful chitinous jaws to capture. The basis of the diet is fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and other marine life.
How the killer worm hunts (video):
Hunt predator at night. Rare cases are described when worms accidentally got into large aquariums and caused damage to the fauna for a long time, remaining unnoticed. One of the most famous is the case in 2009 at the British Blue Reef Aquarium. The uninvited guest could be discovered only after a rather long inexplicable death of ra and corals.
How to catch a bobbit worm (video):