Jenis cacing iblis yang dimaksudkan adalah golongan polychaetes. Jenis cacing itu telah berubah sehingga boleh tinggal di kedalaman 1,000 meter, yang nyaris tak tertembus cahaya matahari.
Cacing iblis mempunyai mulut yang menakutkan, boleh ditarik ke dalam dan ke luar. Saiz cacing ini mempunyai saiz kecil, hanya 2-3 cm. Cacing ini merupakan salah satu jenis makhluk hidup yang ditemui di dekat ventilasi hidrotermal, kawasan bawah laut yang berdekatan dengan zon gempa dan gunung api bawah laut.
Spesies cacing iblis ini bergerak menggeliat di dasar laut. Cacing ini mempunyai struktur serupa gigi yang membantunya memakan mangsa, berupa bakteria atau organisma yang lebih kecil.
Selain itu, cacing ini juga diketahui membina simbiosis dengan bakteria. Bakteria mendapatkan permukaan untuk tumbuh sehingga boleh melakukan metabolisme membuat tenaga dari tenaga kimia, sementara cacing boleh menikmati tenaga yang dihasilkan.
Kewujudan cacing ini, kata Daniel Desbruyeres dari I'lfremer, pusat penyelidikan eksplorasi laut Perancis, menunjukkan bahawa ekosistem laut dalam begitu kaya. "Laut dalam adalah salah satu dari habitat yang pelbagai di Bumi. Namun, persepsi kita yang masih belum berkembang," katanya seperti dipetik Daily Mail, Isnin (20/2/2012).
baca lagi
Looking like aliens from another world, these scale worms(Polychaetes) inhabit the depths of around 3200 ft (1000 m) where it is pitch dark and the pressure is immense.
Their ability to survive in most extreme conditions, including both the freezing sub-zero temperatures of the sea floor and the almost 750 °F (400 °C) super-heated waters near thehydrothermal vents makes them capable of survival in basically any conditions found on Earth, which has truly fascinated the scientific community around the globe.
With size of approximately 1 in (2-3 cm), scale worms can turn their mouth inside-out in order to capture prey more effectively, contributing to their already alien-like appearance.
As the volcanic vents are also believed to exist on Europa, the sixth closest moon of the planet Jupiter, many scientists are hoping to find connection with potential life on other planets, meaning that these alien-looking worms actually might help in discovery of real-life extraterrestrial creatures.
Due to the complete lack of sunlight, the entire surrounding of these thermal vents produces energy from chemistry rather than photosynthesis, meaning that Polychaetes are hosts to symbiotic bacteria that provides them with nutrients.
Certain factors even indicate that the bacteria is what the worms rely on in order to survive.
Much is yet to be discovered about these scale worms. The fascinating ability to survive and the connection with alien species certainly has left many impatiently waiting for results of further research.
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