Shipworms

Shipworms are not worms.

Think you know what they are?

Shipworms

Shipworms are actually clams.

Shipworms

Shipworms get their name from

their long, narrow,

cylindrical bodies.

Shipworms

A closer look at the creature reveals a shell at its front.

This shell has two halves with a gap in between, like a

clamshell.

ShipwormsThese termites of the

sea have an organ full of bacteria that

digest wood.They eat sawdust which they produce

as they scrape through the wood.

Shipworms

The bacteria take nitrogen from the

water and convert it to protein for the worm.

The bacteria, in return, get nutrients

form their host.

Shipworms

Shipworms begin life in the plankton.

When it finds a piece of wood, it uses its shell to

eat its way into the wood.

Shipworms

As the shipworm grows, so does

the burrow. Some worms can be as long as six feet.

Shipworms

Their breathing siphons remain at the surface of the

wood as they grow to obtain their needed

oxygen.

Shipworms

Once a shipworm claims a home, its

stuck there for life.

Shipworms

Even when removed intact

and uninjured, the shipworms are

unable to dig new burrows!

Shipworms

Shipworms play an important role in

reducing the amount of

driftwood in the world’s oceans.