Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 15:43
Forums
Adaptations of Marine Worms in Antarctica

Hello, my name is Michael and I am a student from St. Mark Catholic School. Are any polychaete worms poisonous?

Sun, 08/21/2011 - 20:09

Michael League

Michael, Great question. It took some research to find your answer. There
are more than 10,000 species of polychaete worms. These worms generally
appear to have different segments to their body and come in a variety of
shapes, sizes, and colors. (The worms we are studying here in
Antarctica are fairly small, only a few centimeters, and some
polychaetes can be 9 feet long.)
One polychaete worm I researched does have toxins in hollow bristles
along its body. Its the Hawaiian fire worm or *Eurythoe complanata*.
You can learn more about it by [clicking
here](http://pioneerunion.ca.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook...)
Thanks for the great question and remember to check back as I learn
more about our Antarctic worm, *Capitella perarmata*.
Mike