Whale skeleton
I recently read in the local newspaper that scientists accidentally discovered a new species of worms in the deep ocean near Monterey Bay, California called boneworms few years ago. Scientists found 2 new species belonging to the tube worm family in 2004 which are known to eat whale bones and belong to the genus Osedax. They are also known to eat other mammal bones and what is fascinating about these worms is that they don’t have a digestive system to extract nutrients from bones hence they take the help of symbiotic bacteria for digesting these nutrients. These worms are found across the globe and are residents of deep seas. They are extremely simple organisms but with highly evolved adaptations. On one end of their trunk are some colorful plumes which act as gills supplying oxygen to the rest of the body while the other end has ‘root’ like structure which when lodged on to a whale bone and secrets acid to dissolve bones.
The big question really is why bother eating something which you can’t digest by yourself. This is where we see evolution and nature at their best. Deep sea is usually deprived of nutrients and the organisms which live there have evolved ways to eat whatever comes their way even if it means partnering with other organisms to share the food. This also puts a fascinating spin to the bones and carcass which go to the bottom of the ocean. In my view, Nature is the most excellent designer as the bones which provide structure and protection to one organism become food to another, thus a multi purpose tool.
Illustration of a tube worm
Reading about these worms certainly has inspired me to think about how I can repurpose objects of my daily life, hopefully reducing waste that I create. Atleast, in this aspect my toddler is way ahead of me. For him, all the empty milk bottles and mouth wash bottles are toys to learn about sound and motion.
Who knew these tiny worms sitting at the bottom of the ocean getting on with their lives can be so inspirational. They have certainly inspired me to think about repurposing rather than just throwing things in the recycle bin thinking I have done my part for the world.
Royalty free images were used for this article.
