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November 24, 2020: Acorn Worm

This acorn worm was seen draped over a rock on the seafloor during a 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas dive at a site informally dubbed, “Twin Peaks.” Acorn worms make up their own scientific class — Enteropneusta — and are one of three classes within the phylum Hemichordata. Hemichordates are thought to be most closely related to echinoderms.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas. Download larger version (jpg, 931 KB).

This acorn worm was seen draped over a rock on the seafloor during a 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas dive at a site informally dubbed, “Twin Peaks.” Acorn worms make up their own scientific class — Enteropneusta — and are one of three classes within the phylum Hemichordata. Hemichordates are thought to be most closely related to echinoderms.

Acorn worms were just one of the many types of strange fauna observed during the dive. Check out this video to meet more of the “Mud Monsters” of Twin Peaks.