Adult giant tube worms have no mouth, stomach, or anus.
COMPLETE SPECIES PROFILE
Giant tube worm
Riftia pachyptila
One species, many connections.
Also known as: giant hydrothermal-vent tube worm, Riftia tubeworm
WHY IT MATTERS
One species, many connections.
Its partnership with chemosynthetic bacteria links volcanic chemicals to one of the most extraordinary food webs on Earth.
- Scientific name
- Riftia pachyptila
- Animal group
- Invertebrate · Annelida · Polychaeta
- Environment
- Marine · Deep sea
PUBLIC-DOMAIN VISUAL RECORDS
Two additional perspectives
Together with the primary image, these records show behavior and habitat without covering the photographs with labels.
INTERACTIVE TAXONOMY
Interactive classification
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DID YOU KNOW?
Curiosities that reveal how it lives
Symbiotic bacteria feed them through chemosynthesis rather than sunlight.
They are among the fastest-growing marine invertebrates and can approach one meter of growth in a year.
Their bright red plume contains hemoglobin that transports both oxygen and hydrogen sulfide.
Where it lives
Hydrothermal vents in the deep eastern Pacific, including the Galápagos Rift and East Pacific Rise.
How it lives
Adults have no mouth or digestive tract. Symbiotic bacteria inside a specialized organ make food from vent chemicals.
Key adaptations
A red plume exchanges gases and chemicals with the water, while specialized hemoglobin transports oxygen and hydrogen sulfide.
Its connections
It provides structure for vent communities and depends completely on microbes, mineral-rich water, and the geology of active seafloor vents.
Pressures and protection
Vent habitats can change or disappear naturally, and deep-sea mining and disturbance are growing concerns for vent ecosystems.