Mar 18, 2008

Off the Florida Coast

Peer sent me this video of an unidentified sea creature off the Florida coast. Any marine biologists care to ID it for us? It might be, as Peer pointed out, a strand of zombie intestines. But that's just a guess.

10 comments:

  1. My guess would be that it's either a type of fluke or lamprey. That said, I'm not an expert in this area, so I might be wrong.

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  2. It's a nemertean worm.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemertean_worm

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  3. No, it's just disgusting. Absolutely hideous. Definitely zombie guts.

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  4. It looks like a prolapse. That is ill. Rarely do I get a shiver, but knowing that that thing eats and is eaten by something else really disgusts me. And it lays eggs. Ick. Peer, Wombat, that is truly an ugly thing. Good call, rasmus.

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  5. Where I come from, "worms" are things you dig up and hook fish with. I'm with Kritter, ZOMBIE GUTS!

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  6. i don't think its that gross. weird, definitely, but not gross. looks like some kind of eel, the way it frills up on its sides where they brush the ground. er, sea floor.

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  7. Ramus beat me to the punch. It’s def. a Nemertean. The ay it moves, the shape of the head - all classic. I've never seen one that big before. But then, I've never been out of the low intertidal.

    On the gross front - there's a species of this worm that's affectionately called, "sea snot," by those of us fond of marine inverts. :)

    The species - no idea. You'd likely have to dissect the head to find out. Any volunteers? lol

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  8. Attack of the giant stretchy tube-sock?

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  9. rasmus and arachnophile are right: it´s a nemertean worm. Apparently some can get as long as 100 ft in case of the ribbon worm or proboscis worm. Oh, and lovely, lovely, most are also predators.

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