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.
在哪里、什么时候能见到
"常驻"表示在该目的地潜水时大多数情况下都能遇见它们；"季节性"表示在所列月份内可靠出现；其他任何情况都是意外惊喜，而非计划中的保障。
| 目的地 | 可靠性 | 月份 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedEgypt | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| North & South Malé AtollsMaldives | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| BonaireBonaire | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| CozumelMexico | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsAustralia | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| RoatánHonduras | Resident: seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 |
最佳月份一览
深入了解
栖息地: Embedded in living coral heads (massive Porites especially) on sunlit reef flats and slopes.
分布范围: Circumtropical on coral reefs worldwide, from the Caribbean through the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea.
习性: 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.
食性: Suspended plankton and particles filtered by the feathery spiral crowns, which double as gills.
与它相处时的行为守则
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.
保育
Not formally assessed; fortunes are welded to those of living coral, since the worm cannot outlive its host colony's surface.
以此著称的已标注潜点
高亮显示的潜点由编辑团队为该物种标注；数字为1990年以来潜点约5公里范围内的GBIF出现记录数。
观看
来自官方渠道
Wildlife of Monterey | New film in our auditorium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
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