Annelid · marine worm

Methane ice worm

Sirsoe methanicola (formerly Hesiocaeca methanicola)

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

About 540 to 800 m, in the Gulf of Mexico

Size

2 to 4 cm

Diet

Bacteria that grow on methane ice

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• It lives in mounds of methane ice, a gas trapped in ice by cold and pressure.
• It is the first animal discovered living in this ice, in 1997.
• About 2,500 per square meter have been counted.
• In the laboratory, adults survived up to 96 hours without oxygen.

Verified sources

1. Fisher et al. 2000, Naturwissenschaften, Methane ice worms (Penn State)
2. Penn State, Scientists discover methane ice worms on Gulf of Mexico sea floor
3. NOAA Ocean Explorer, Iceworm Hesiocaeca methanicola
4. Wikipédia (point de départ), Sirsoe methanicola

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Bamboo coralKeratoisis sp. (family Isididae, broadly defined) Bubblegum coralParagorgia arborea Carnivorous umbrella spongeCladorhiza kensmithi Scarlet king crabLithodes couesi Atlantic batfishDibranchus atlanticus Bone-eating zombie wormOsedax rubiplumus