Underground caves hide worms in the Pacific Ocean; He looks

Deep in the eastern Pacific highlands, more than 2,000 meters below the ocean’s surface, lives something that, until recently, was hidden from human eyes – partly because the area is inaccessible: a strange species of worms that lives in a worm web. Underground caves.

Understands:

• Researchers have discovered a species of worms living in underground caves in the Pacific Ocean.
• Vents, called hydrothermal vents, are cracks in the Earth’s crust that cause water and magma to meet.
• With this mixture, heat and minerals are released, promoting the ideal habitat for this species;
• The team was using a remotely operated robot to explore the surrounding caves when they discovered the worms underground;
• At least 10 species have been documented, including the roundworm Revitia pachyptellaWhich can reach 3 meters in length.

In the study published in Nature CommunicationsThe team explains that some types of worms have been found in hydrothermal vents – cracks in the Earth’s crust that cause water and magma to meet. This mixture releases heat and minerals, creating an ideal environment for the species to grow.

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The worm found in the Pacific Ocean can reach 3 meters in length

The team used a remotely operated robot to explore life around the volcanic areas, and were surprised to discover types of worms inside the cavities as well. According to the study, at least 10 species have been documented, including the giant tubeworm, Revitia pachyptellaWhich can reach 3 meters in length.

“Geologists had described these cavities before, but they had never seen animals and we biologists didn’t know there were cavities there, but when we tried to collect rocks so we could look for tubeworm larvae on the surface, we broke down,” says Monica Bright, a marine biologist, when Science Alert.

Currently, researchers still do not know for sure the extent or number of underground caves. Despite this, the team highlights the importance of investing in protecting species living in these areas from activities such as deep-sea mining.