fanworms
Plume-crowned sea worms
Fanworms are marine worms that live in tubes and extend feathery, fan-shaped structures to filter food from the water.
The colorful tentacles, arranged in spirals or plumes, retract instantly when disturbed.
They anchor to rocks, coral, or sand in shallow waters worldwide: The fanworms disappeared into their tubes when my shadow passed over them.
Sovereign's ornamental headpiece
- featheryLight and soft-textured
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
setae · bristles · tube · appendage · palps · operculum · thorax · abdomen
Characterized by much sitting
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- benthicOf the sea bottom
- subtidalPermanently below waterline
intertidal · sandy · rocky · tropical · temperate · lagoon · seabed · substrate
Separating solids from liquids
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- particlesMinute pieces of matter
- detritusLoose waste from decay
microorganisms · cilia · mucus · currents · nutrients · capture · trapping · organic
Ringed-body worm phylum
- bristlewormsSegmented marine worms with setae
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- segmentedDivided into sections
- zoologyStudy of fauna
For beauty, not function
- colorfulFull of varied hues
- displayPresentation for viewing
- tankLarge storage vessel
- reef-safeNon-toxic to marine ecosystems
peaceful · lighting · retract · emerge · acclimation · hobbyist · saltwater · captive
Range of life forms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- communityCollective of connected people
- larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
settlement · predation · fish · conservation · bleaching · indicator · restoration
crown
Sovereign's ornamental headpiece
- featheryLight and soft-textured
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
tentacles · setae · bristles · tube · appendage · palps · operculum · thorax · abdomen · segments
sedentary
Characterized by much sitting
subtidal · intertidal · sandy · rocky · tropical · temperate · lagoon · seabed · substrate · burrowing
filtration
Separating solids from liquids
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- particlesMinute pieces of matter
detritus · microorganisms · cilia · mucus · currents · nutrients · capture · trapping · organic · bacteria
annelids
Ringed-body worm phylum
- bristlewormsSegmented marine worms with setae
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- segmentedDivided into sections
ornamental
For beauty, not function
reef-safe · peaceful · lighting · retract · emerge · acclimation · hobbyist · saltwater · captive · hardy
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- communityCollective of connected people
larvae · settlement · predation · fish · conservation · bleaching · indicator · restoration