Osedax is a genus of siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called snot worms or bone-eating worms. Osedax is Latin for 'bone devourer' [1], derived from the worms' unique ecological niche of bone-boring.

Meet the bone-eating worm Scientists working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in 2004 discovered two new species of unique tube worms that feed on the bones of dead …

Zombie worms (Osedax roseus) eat away at the bones of a dead whale that has fallen to the seafloor. (Yoshihiro Fujiwara/JAMSTEC) Zombie worms don’t crave brains: instead they seek bones.

In 2002, MBARI scientists first observed two very odd species of worms living on the bones of a gray whale. Their trunks and brilliant red plumes produced a flowing "shag" carpet that covered many of …

Dec 28, 2025 · That species is the zombie worm, formally known as "the bone devourer" Osedax. Its disappearance may signal deeper trouble ahead, including species loss and weakening ecosystems …

Osedax is a genus of polychaete worms that live and feed on bones, including those of marine animals such as baleen whales, turtles, and fish. These worms dissolve bone through acid secretion, utilizing …

May 17, 2023 · Genome compaction and extensive gene losses distinguish the heterotrophic symbiosis of the bone-eating worm Osedax frankpressi from the chemoautotrophic symbiosis of deep-sea …

Jul 30, 2004 · We describe a new genus, Osedax, and two new species of annelids with females that consume the bones of dead whales via ramifying roots. Molecular and morphological evidence …

Osedax are gutless siboglinid worms that thrive on vertebrate bones lying on the ocean floor, mainly those of whales. The posterior body of female Osedax penetrates into the bone forming extensions …

Apr 10, 2024 · This extends the geographic range of Osedax in the Cretaceous to both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean. The bones contain five borehole morphotypes, potentially created by …