Osedax

A whalefall discovered in 2002 by Bob Vrijenhoek and colleagues at MBARI was amazing in that the whale bones were covered by worms with bright red plumes and retractile trunks. The trunks led into the bones and ramified into bright green roots filled with bacteria. Subsequently the worms were described in 2004 as Osedax (meaning bone devourer) when two species were named:

Osedax rubiplumus Osedax frankpressi

Osedax is a genus of siboglinid polychaete annelids whose close relatives include hydrothermal vent worms such as Riftia.