A favourite activity of students visiting the Huntsman is a field trip to a muddy beach. Armed with buckets and shovels the students head out in search of animals that burrow into the sediments when the tide is out.
One of the interesting creatures the students find in the mud is the blood worm (Glycera dibranchiata). A cool feature of this worm is that it feeds by shooting out a proboscis with four small fangs on the end. The fangs are connected to glands that supply poison which they use to kill their prey. You should hear the screeches when the students see the proboscis for the first time! Fun!
Blood worm facts:
· Pale skin allows red body fluid to show through
· Uses proboscis to build interconnected burrows where it then waits to ambush prey
· Both sexes die after releasing their egg or sperm
· Used as live bait in Canada, US and Europe
