Hesiocaeca methanicola
| Hesiocaeca methanicola | ||||||||||||||||
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| Hesiocaeca methanicola |
Recently, methane clathrate deposits in the ocean floor have been found to be inhabited by polychaete worms of the species Hesiocaeca methanicola. The worms colonize the ice-methane solid and appear to survive by gleaning bacteria that in turn metabolize the clathrate.
External links
- Scientists Discover Methane Ice Worms on Gulf of Mexico Sea Floor
- Methane Ice Worms: Hesiocaeca methanicola. Colonizing Fossil Fuel Reserves
- SpaceRef.com, May 04, 2001: Redefining "Life as We Know it" In 1997, Charles Fisher, professor of biology at Penn State, discovered this remarkable creature living on mounds of methane ice under half a mile of ocean on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.