Invertebrates
Christmas Tree Worm
Spirobranchus giganteus · Segmented worm, family Serpulidae (calcareous tube worms); the familiar reef animals form the Spirobranchus giganteus species complex
Christmas tree worms are the reef's pop-up decorations: twin spiral crowns, two or three centimeters tall, in blue, orange, yellow, white, and maroon, sprouting in constellations from heads of living coral. The crowns are the working end of a tube worm whose body stays sealed inside the coral skeleton, filtering plankton and breathing with the same feathery radioles. Startle one (a shadow, a pressure wave, an exhale too close) and it vanishes faster than the eye can track, capping its burrow with a spiked trapdoor. Then the game begins: hold position and count the seconds until the spirals unfurl again. Individuals can occupy the same coral head for decades, outliving most of the fish around them. They make superb practice subjects for breath control and slow approaches, grading your technique instantly and in public.
어디서 언제 볼 수 있나
"상주종"은 해당 목적지에서 대부분의 다이빙 시 만날 수 있다는 뜻이고, "계절종"은 표기된 달에 안정적으로 출현한다는 뜻입니다. 그 외의 생물은 계획이 아닌 보너스로 여기세요.
| 목적지 | 신뢰도 | 월 | 참고 사항 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedEgypt | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 | |
| North & South Malé AtollsMaldives | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 | |
| BonaireBonaire | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 | |
| CozumelMexico | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 | |
| Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsAustralia | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 | |
| RoatánHonduras | Resident: seen on most dives | 연중 가능 |
한눈에 보는 최적의 달
이해하기
서식지: Embedded in living coral heads (massive Porites especially) on sunlit reef flats and slopes.
범위: Circumtropical on coral reefs worldwide, from the Caribbean through the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea.
행동 특성: Instantly withdraws at a shadow or pressure wave, sealing the tube with a spiked operculum, then re-emerges over seconds to minutes; individuals can hold the same spot for decades.
먹이: Suspended plankton and particles filtered by the feathery spiral crowns, which double as gills.
이 생물 주변에서의 행동 요령
Approach with slow exhalations and no touching. Triggering mass retractions for fun costs the worms feeding time, and the host coral does not appreciate braced fingers either.
보존
Not formally assessed; fortunes are welded to those of living coral, since the worm cannot outlive its host colony's surface.
관련 다이브 사이트 목록
강조 표시된 사이트는 편집팀이 해당 종에 대해 직접 등록한 곳이며, 숫자는 1990년 이후 사이트 기준 약 5km 이내에서 기록된 GBIF 출현 건수입니다.
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