Soon New Year, so this note will be devoted to one animal, which I completely and completely associate with this holiday. What you see in front of you is not another beautiful underwater plant in the form of a Christmas tree, but a real animal - a tubular polychaete marine worm of the Sabellidae family.

Tubular polychaete marine worm or Christmas tree worm (lat. Spirobranchus giganteus) (English Christmas tree worm)

The "Christmas Trees" are common in tropical zone Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. You can find them at a shallow depth among corals, in crystal clear water, poor nutrients.

They live in a lime tube. At the same time, the main building materials are calcium ions and carbonate ions, which the worm extracts from the water.

Their link is an organic component secreted from two glands located in the mouth. During growth, new parts of the tube are added in small rings that are placed on the end of the old tube.

But before starting to build its shelter, the worm larva carefully selects the corals for its home. Only weakened or dead polyps are suitable for her, because it is more convenient to build their tube houses on them.

There are whole colonies of these worms

Over time, coral builds up around the tube, becoming less visible, and only herringbones remain on the surface.

What looks so much like a Christmas tree is gill rays that diverge into 2 separate spirals. They are both respiratory and nutritional organs ( pick up small particles of organic matter from the water).

By the way, numerous colonies of worms of the same color are very rare.

Their color can be very diverse: bright blue, red and yellow, with shades from white to pink-blue and even black, etc. It may be that the gill rays of one worm have a different color scheme.

One more characteristic feature of these worms is the presence of a cap on the tube that tightly closes the entrance to the tube. At the slightest danger, the worm instantly draws its spiral gill rays into the tube, thereby closing the lid.

Spirobranchus giganteus live differently, it all depends on the species: smaller worms - a few months, and larger species - up to 4-8 years.

Tubular polychaete marine worm or worm " Christmas tree»

What you see in front of you is not another beautiful underwater plant in the form of a Christmas tree, but a real animal - a tubular polychaete marine worm of the Sabellidae family.

Tubular polychaete marine worm or Christmas tree worm (lat. Spirobranchus giganteus) (English Christmas tree worm)


You can find it at a shallow depth among corals, in crystal clear water, which is poor in nutrients. Worms are common in the tropical zone of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.



This is a small worm that lives in a calcareous tube. Its main building materials are calcium ions and carbonate ions, which the worm extracts from the water. Their link is an organic component secreted from two glands located in the mouth. During growth, new parts of the tube are added in small rings that are placed on the end of the old tube.




But before starting to build its shelter, the worm larva carefully selects the corals for its home. Only weakened or dead polyps are suitable for her, because it is more convenient to build their tube houses on them.


There are whole colonies of these worms


Over time, corals grow around the tube, so they become invisible, and only “herringbones” remain on the surface.




What looks so much like a Christmas tree is gill rays that diverge into 2 separate spirals. They are both respiratory and nutritional organs (they catch small particles of organic substances from the water).




Their color can be very diverse: bright blue, red and yellow, with shades from white to pink-blue and even black, etc. It may be that the gill rays of one worm have a different color scheme.




Another characteristic feature of these worms is the presence of a cap on the tube, which tightly buries the entrance to the tube. At the slightest danger, the worm instantly draws its spiral gill rays into the tube, and the lid slams shut from above.

The New Year is coming soon, so this article will be dedicated to one animal, which I completely and completely associate with this holiday. What you see in front of you is not another beautiful underwater plant in the form of a Christmas tree, but a real animal - a tubular polychaete marine worm of the Sabellidae family.

"Christmas trees" are common in the tropical zone of the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. You can find them at shallow depths among corals, in crystal clear water, poor in nutrients.

They live in a lime tube. At the same time, the main building materials are calcium ions and carbonate ions, which the worm extracts from the water.

Their link is an organic component secreted from two glands located in the mouth. During growth, new parts of the tube are added in small rings that are placed on the end of the old tube.

But before starting to build its shelter, the worm larva carefully selects the corals for its home. Only weakened or dead polyps are suitable for her, because it is more convenient to build their tube houses on them.

There are whole colonies of these worms

Over time, corals grow around the tube, becoming less visible, and only "herringbones" remain on the surface.

What looks so much like a Christmas tree is gill rays that diverge into 2 separate spirals. They are both respiratory and nutritional organs ( pick up small particles of organic matter from the water).

By the way, numerous colonies of worms of the same color are very rare.

Their color can be very diverse: bright blue, red and yellow, with shades from white to pink-blue and even black, etc. It may be that the gill rays of one worm have a different color scheme.

Another characteristic feature of these worms is the presence of a cap on the tube that tightly closes the entrance to the tube. At the slightest danger, the worm instantly draws its spiral gill rays into the tube, thereby closing the lid.

Spirobranchus giganteus live differently, it all depends on the species: smaller worms - a few months, and larger species - up to 4-8 years.

Scientifically, this cute one is called spirobranchus giganteus , but he is better known to everyone as worm christmas tree(or worm christmas tree). Spirobranchus giganteus live in the ocean, their body consists of two tubes in the form of colorful spirals that look like tiny Christmas trees. The spirals are covered with villi - radiograms, with the help of which the worm captures food floating in the water. As a rule, these are microscopic plants and phytoplankton. Radiols are also used for breathing. The Christmas tree worm consists of two Christmas trees, the height of which rarely exceeds 4 centimeters, they are different colors, including orange, yellow, blue, white, green. These creatures are easy to spot because of their fun shape, beauty, and color.

Sea worm Christmas tree

The Christmas tree worm does not like to move much. As soon as he finds a good place among corals, it burrows into a suitable hole and remains in it for the rest of its life. Sometimes the worm comes out of its home to open two spirals and catch plankton with them. Spirobranchus giganteus are very sensitive to disturbances and are quickly drawn into their burrows at the slightest touch or the appearance of a passing shadow.