| Range: |
Tropical and temperate waters worldwide |
| Habitat: |
Oceans |
| Conservation Status: |
Not listed by IUCN |
| Scientific Name: |
Subclass: Sedentaria |
We may not think of worms as beautiful, but these ocean-dwellers certainly are. Featherduster worms build their own "homes," secreting mucus from their body to form a tube. Once the tube is formed and firmly attached to a hard surface, the worms stay inside it for the rest of their life.
Featherdusters are named for the fan of tentacles extending from their head. When the worms poke their feathery head out of the tube, the tentacles capture food and take up oxygen. When threatened, the worms rapidly withdraw their tentacles back inside the tube.
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