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Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.

Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.
Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.
Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.
Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.
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61983
Garcia-Berdeal, Irene
Recovered specimens of Alvinella pompejana in a dish.
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11/01/2006
graphics/mullineaux/AD4261_alvinella_05.JPG
Image Of the Day caption:
Alvinella pompejana is named after the submersible Alvin and the Roman city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcano. Also known as the Pompeii worm, it can withstand the hottest temperatures of any known animal. The worms have a thick layer of bacteria-covered "hair" on their back and live in paper-thin tubes with their tail end resting in hydrothermal vent fluid as hot as 176?F, while their feathery heads stick out of the tubes into much cooler, 72?F seawater. The bacteria feed on mucus the worms secrete, and scientists think the bacterial fur provides insulation for the worms.
Photo by Irene Garcia-Berdeal
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~ant/LADDER/
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