On coral reefs around the world, tiny worms are feeling festive. “This worm is always in the Christmas spirit,” says Oceana in a video showing the brightly coloured wormwaving gently in the current like a tiny fir tree.
Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus giganteus) are small invertebrates that make burrows inside corals where they can safely hide from predators. They typically measure less than 4cm in total and up to two thirds of their bodies remain anchored in the coral.
“Christmas Tree Worms rarely, if ever, move from their burrows,” says Oceana.
Despite making shelter inside the coral, they’re easy to spot thanks to their colourful crowns which flutter gently in the water, using tiny hairs to catch food.
“The crowns are feather-like appendages that resemble fir trees, giving Christmas tree worms their name,” says Oceana.
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But these worms can vanish in the blink of an eye – they retract into their burrows when they sense danger and only come out again when the coast is clear, Oceana explains, saying: “When startled, these worms will rapidly retreat back into their burrows, later poking a small amount of their bristles back out of their burrows to determine if the danger has passed”
