Nemertean · ribbon worm

Giant Antarctic ribbon worm

Parborlasia corrugatus

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From the coast down to 3,950 m

Size

Up to 2 m, more than 140 g

Diet

Carrion, sponges, anemones, worms, limpets, debris

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• It can swallow prey several times wider than itself.
• Its mucus contains toxins. No predator seems to eat it.
• It is one of the top predators of the Antarctic seafloor.
• In spring, dozens are sometimes seen gathered together, perhaps to spawn together.

Verified sources

1. Thornhill et al. 2008, Molecular Ecology (Smithsonian)
2. Jacobsson et al. 2024, Toxins (via DOAJ)
3. British Antarctic Survey, photothèque : Parborlasia

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Giant scale wormEulagisca gigantea Giant tube wormRiftia pachyptila Pompeii wormAlvinella pompejana Yeti crabKiwa hirsuta Japanese spider crabMacrocheira kaempferi Giant Pacific octopusEnteroctopus dofleini