By
TOMMY CARTER
Most people have never heard of the bootlace worm. Why would anyone be interested in the bootlace worm? The bootlace worm has several very unusual and interesting features that you will hear about in this report.
The bootlace worm is a marine ribbon worm. This
worm is very
rare. It ranges in size from one inch to
ninety feet long, but most are from 2 cm to 3 ft long. They are
generally red
or brown in color.
The most unusual feature of the bootlace worm is its proboscis. A proboscis is a tube that is used to attack its prey. When the proboscis is not in use it is stored inside the worm in a muscular sheath. When projected, the proboscis turns inside out like a sock, and can extend two or three times the length of the worm.
There are two types of bootlace worms. One is unarmed and the other is armed. The unarmed worms use their proboscis so that it works like a lasso to catch their prey and bring their prey to them. The armed worms use their proboscis differently. At the end of their proboscis there is a barbed spike used to stab their prey. Each stab releases toxins into the prey. Both of these attack strategies work efficiently because the worm can be further away from its prey. In addition to feeding, the proboscis is used for defense and for burrowing into the ground.
The bootlace worm lives mainly in seas, next to
coral reefs.
Sometimes the bootlace worm lives in fresh water lakes.
This worm has a blood system, but it does not have
a heart.
The muscles in the worm move to make the blood circulate.
The bootlace worm is nonsegmented, unlike
most worms, such as the earthworm, which are segmented.
Bibliography
Biodidac,
A Bank
of digital resources for Teaching Biology,
Biological
Sciences,
Columbia Encyclopedia, http://www.bartleby.com/65/ne/Nemertin.html.
Encyclopedia.com,
http://www.encyclopedia.com .
Nature.com, http://www.nature.com.
University
of
Manchester, School of Biological
Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing's
Teaching and
Learning Website, http://www.teaching-biomed.man.ac.uk.
March, 2003