Scientists discovered four specimens of deep-sea worms that have laid hidden more than 3,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of California.
Dubbed ‘Elvis worms’, these creatures are named after the King of Rock’s sequined suits because their backs are lined with shiny, iridescent scales.
The team discovered the new species using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and a submersible known as Alvin and combined their efforts with DNA analysis to identify them as distinct species.
The four new members belong to the group known as ‘scale worms’ that are distant relatives of earthworms, but are covered in large, overlapping glittery plates that are used as armor.
Scroll down for video
The four new species are named after researchers involved in the find along with Elvis himself. The group includes Peinaleopolynoe goffredia, P. orphanae, P. mineoi and P. elvisi
The four new species are named after researchers involved in the find along with Elvis himself.
The group includes Peinaleopolynoe goffredia, P. orphanae, P. mineoi and P. elvisi.
Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, told InsideScience: ‘Our nickname for them was Elvis worms because they look like sequins on an Elvis jumpsuit.’
The team discovered the worms clustered together on the seafloor around whale carcasses and other organic matter.
The team discovered the worms clustered together on the seafloor around whale crocuses and other organic matter
However, Avery Hatch, a graduate student in Rouse’s lab and one of the scientists who conducted the research, noted that P. orphanage was found hiding in a hydrothermal vent.
Hatch explained that beneath the glowing scales sits an ‘intricate branching’ lung system that allows the creatures to breathe in low-oxygen environments.
The scales are shiny colors of pink, blue and purple, along gold bristles that line the worms’ feet.
The worms are named after Elvis, who wore sequined suits when performing
And although many deep-sea animals use such features to produce light in dark waters, the experts suggest that is not the case for these shiny worms.
Tamara Frank, a biological oceanographer at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who was not involved in the research, said: ‘There’s just no way that’s going to be visible to any animal down there.
‘I honestly think the iridescence doesn’t have any functional significance.’
These Elvis worms may have developed the scales as an armor against predators and the colors developed as a side effect.
The researchers captured a video of the critters on the seafloor, which highlights why the protective layer is necessary for their survival.
Nicknamed ‘Elvis worms’, these creatures are named after the King of Rock’s sequined suits because their backs are lined with shiny, iridescent scales
Beneath the glowing scales sits an ‘intricate branching’ lung system that allows the creatures to breathe in low-oxygen environments. The scales are shiny colors of pink, blue and purple, along gold bristles that line the worms’ feet
The footage captured two of the worms fighting with with ‘parrot-like’ beaks on the ends of long ‘noses’, which turned into them taking ‘chunks out of each other.’
Prior to watching the clip, the team thought markings on the scales were natural notches, but have now determined that they are teeth marks left behind from the viscous brawls.
‘It wasn’t until we saw that video of them fighting that it suddenly clicked. Like, “Wait – these things in the scales, these notches, are bite marks,”‘ said Rouse.
Edith Widder, a deep-sea biologist and CEO of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association called it ‘stunning and bizarre’ and linked their moves to a dancelike scuffle.
‘I really want to know what that jitterbug is about,’ she said.