Red tube monsters12/11/2023 ![]() ![]() PARENTS, PLEASE BE ADVISED: If you are a parent, it is your responsibility to keep any age-restricted content from being displayed to your children or wards. Furthermore, you represent and warrant that you will not allow any minor access to this site or services. This website should only be accessed if you are at least 18 years old or of legal age to view such material in your local jurisdiction, whichever is greater. But the cycle begins again when new hydrothermal vents begin to grow elsewhere on the deep sea floor.You are about to enter a website that contains explicit material (pornography). Scientists have returned to once thriving vent sites only to find them completely cold and dead. When this happens, all of the incredible creatures that depend on these chemicals will wither and die. As the Earth's crust shifts due to geothermal activity, the supply of chemicals through the vents can be cut off. As amazing as these vent ecosystems are, they are also extremely fragile. It is believed that these invertebrates feed by nibbling off bits of the tube worms' red plumes. Entire communities of shrimps and crabs have been found living around these giants. The average depth of these vents is 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). Giant tube worms have been found throughout the Pacific Ocean where deep sea hydrothermal vents have been discovered. As the worm grows older, the mouth and gut disappear, trapping the bacteria inside. As the larvae develop into tiny worms, they temporarily develop a primitive mouth and gut through which the symbiotic bacteria enter. ![]() After hatching, the young larvae swim down and attach themselves to rocks. Giant tube worms reproduce by releasing their eggs into the water to be fertilized. Although the worms have no eyes, they can sense movement and vibrations and will retreat into their protective tubes when threatened. Chitin is also the main component in the exoskeletons of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. The outer tube of the worm is made from a tough, natural substance called chitin. It is this plume that provides nutrients to the bacteria that live inside the worm. The bright red color comes from the presence of large amounts of hemoglobin (blood). This is a specialized organ used for exchanging compounds such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide with the seawater. Perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of these worms is their bright red plume. The bacteria actually convert the chemicals from the hydrothermal vents into organic molecules that provide food for the worm. This type of mutually beneficial relationship between two organisms is known as symbiosis. They depend on bacteria that live inside them for their food. These giant tube worms grow up to eight feet (over two meters) in length and have no mouth and no digestive tract. ![]() The giant tube worms are closely related to the many smaller species of tube worms that inhabit shallower waters. These hydrothermal vents are known as "black smokers" because of the dark color of the material they eject. Instead, they feed on tiny bacteria that get their energy directly from the chemicals in the water through a process known as chemosynthesis. The organisms that live near these vents are unique because, unlike all other living things on earth, they do not depend on sunlight for their source of energy. In spite of the near boiling temperature of the water, these animals were thriving in the complete absence of light. This toxic soup of chemicals would be lethal to most animals, so scientists were shocked to find entire ecosystems of animals living around these vents. When the water emerges from the vent, it is rich in chemicals and minerals. Powered by volcanic heat, these vents recirculate water that seeps down through cracks or faults in the rock. The giant tube worm, also known as Riftia pachyptila, was totally unknown to science until researchers exploring the deep Pacific Ocean floor discovered strange, hydrothermal vents. ![]()
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