Tenderly swaying in the ebb and flow of tides is a tuft of flamboyant feathers, a splendid display by a rather unassuming tubeworm – meet the magnificent feather duster, Sabellastarte magnifica!
This leathery-looking tubeworm’s ‘feathers’ are nothing but an exquisite dining apparatus surrounding its mouth, where each feeding tentacle (called radiole) is covered by fine feather-like structures held together by sticky mucous secretions. Together, these make up the beautiful plumage which they use both as a ‘net’ to filter and feed and as gills to breathe. And for us feather-less land dwellers, they are a treat to the eyes!
While this uniquely coloured fan-shaped crown is quite a marvel underwater, there’s more to it than that meets the eye. The banding patterns of its plume, alternating between light (creamish yellow) and dark (light to chocolate brown) pigmented bands, is the worm’s way to mimic the sandy surroundings and varied textures of the corals where they are found. A magnificent display to trick its predators like carnivorous fishes and crabs, who love to chomp on them!
Text by Jhinook Mitra.