A team of scientists from the UK and Sweden has recently discovered a new species of marine worm on the remains of a whale in the North Sea, within Swedish territorial waters.
The newly identified species, named Osedax mucofloris, is typically found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, making this the first time they have been observed in the North Sea.
The Osedax mucofloris marine worm measures between 1 to 2 cm in length, resembling flowers protruding from whale bones. They attach firmly to the whale skeleton, subsisting by extracting oil from the bones with the help of symbiotic bacteria and absorbing oxygen from the surrounding water. A portion of the marine worm that rises above the water’s surface is covered in a protective mucous layer.
Scientists have noted that they are still unaware of the reproductive process of the Osedax mucofloris species in Sweden, as they have only found females and have yet to encounter any males.
