[ad_1]
By Kelly Mayes
New research reveals that in an ocean filled with whales, sharks and giant fish schools, one of the loudest sounds comes from a 29-millimeter-long marine worm.
Worms (Leocratides Kimuraorum) were first discovered in 2017. They spend their lives in the crevices of hexactinellid sponges, often called glass sponges, off the coast of Japan. But it was only when the researchers took them to the lab that they noticed how noisy they were.
When creatures fight, they sneak up, contract their bodies, and head first to the opponent, the team discovered. They also emit a popping noise sounding like a champagne cork, reveal underwater microphones. Researchers say that the sounds of worms are almost as loud as those of crisp shrimps, which produce sounds so powerful that they can break little glass jars.
The worms are silent, even when the researchers tried to make them worse. Normally, creatures making such noise use a hard structure at some point in their anatomy, like the crispy shrimp, which makes a loud noise by quickly closing its claws. L. kimuraorum is different in that it is able to generate enough pressure in its body to emit sound by simple muscle contraction, reported the team this week Current biology.
This is the first recorded example of a soft-bodied organism or any other mollusc making a powerful underwater noise, the team said. Researchers say that while the thud may be simply due to rapid movements during the attack, it could also be a call to other worms of the same species to let them know they are attacked. Whatever the case may be, their roar makes these soft-bodied creatures look terribly tough.
[ad_2]
Source link