wormsauce: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1165930/Barry-giant-sea-worm-discovered-aquarium-staff-mysterious-attacks-coral-reef.html
Hi there~ meet Barry~
Aquarium staff have unearthed a 'giant sea' worm that was
attacking coral reef and prize fish.
The 4ft long monster, named Barry, had launched a sustained
attack on the reef in a display tank at Newquay's Blue Reef
Aquarium over recent months.
Workers at the Cornwall-based attraction had been left
scratching their heads as to why the coral had been left devastated
and - in some cases - cut in half.
Discovered:
'Barry' the sea worm had been nestling under coral reef, attacking
it and fish, at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium in
Cornwall
After
staking out the display for several weeks, the last resort was to
completely dismantle it, rock by rock.
Halfway
through the process the predator was revealed as a four-foot
polychaete worm.
Staff
eventually lured it out with fish scraps, but not before it bit
through 20lb fishing line.
Don't mess: The tropical tropical worm is covered in thousands
of bristles which are capable of inflicting a sting resulting in
permanent numbness
The tropical worm is capable of inflicting permanent numbness on
humans with its sting.
Matt Slater, the aquarium's curator, said: 'Something was
guzzling our reef but we had no idea what, we also found an injured
Tang Fish so we laid traps but they got ripped apart in the
night.
'That worm must have obliterated the traps. The bait was full of
hooks which he must have just digested.'
He added: 'It really does look like something out of a horror
movie. It's over four feet long with these bizarre-looking
jaws.
'We also discovered that he is covered with thousands of
bristles which are capable of inflicting a sting resulting in
permanent numbness.'
Mr Slater said Barry, who has now been relocated to his own
tank, probably arrived as a juvenile in a delivery of living rock
from another aquarium.
