Cold-water coral webcam

Introduction > Latest Images > Live > Euncids

In the webcam you can see the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, but if you watch for a while, you might see another animal moving in between the polyps. In the current field of view, there are 3 Eunice norvegica worms. These worms are polychaetes or bristlleworms and live in a form of symbiosis with Lophelia and other cold-water reef framework-forming corals. Especially in the cold-water coral communities of the North Atlantic Ocean.

These eunicid polychaetes live amongst the coral and produce a parchment like tube that they live in. These tubes are rapidly calcified by the coral, serving to create a strong shelter for the worm and also potentially strengthen the coral framework.

Some observations of worm behaviour have shown the eunicids to clean the coral framework by removing trapped food and detritus that fell in between the polyps. In some cases, the eunicids have been observed stealing food from the coral polyps! Even more amazingly, the eunicids have been observed moving fragments of coral, aggregating and bridging the fragments with their tubes, potentially contributing to the reef-building process!

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