THE CANNIBAL CORPSE WORM

The fossilised jaws of a giant marine worm (or polychaete)

called a Bobbit worm were discovered near the town of Moosonee on Hudson Bay in Ontario, Canada, in February 2017. This granddaddy of all marine worms lived some 400 million years ago, making it the world’s oldest worm. Based on its

massive jaws, it likely stretched more than 3 metres long.

Bobbit worm is the colloquial term for giant eunicids, marine worms that still exist today. These creatures, which can grow as long as 10 feet (3 metres), bury most of their bodies beneath the sand, waiting for prey to venture by so they can shoot out of their hole in a sneak attack. The new species of worm lived during the Devonian period. It is known only from its jaws, which

reached more than 1 centimetre in length.

Image credit James Ormiston