This 4-foot-long sea worm was devastating coral reef and terrorizing fish at an aquarium in Cornwall, southwestern England. The creature, known as “Barry,” devoured bait traps — hooks and all — and bit through a 20-pound fishing line before staffers finally managed to capture it. The worm was moved to its own tank.
This is not a new species, but merely an out-of-place animal, so to speak. It is apparently the Giant Reef Bristle Worm, perhaps Eunice aphroditois.
Also called the “Bobbit Worm” due to the fact that the female worm attacks the male penis and feeds it to her young after mating.
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Lambton worm alert?
looking at something like that, that close up is makin my stomach turn.. excuse me while go and be sick..
Eek! I definately will not be visiting that. Knowing it’s in the same county is bad enough.
Marine invertebrates are amazing. If you have your own reef aquarium at home it’s probably got mystery beasties like this that come out once the lights are off. I want a reef tank so much…
Barry?
Looking at this photograph I feel strangely hungry.
I shuddered when I saw that UGLY THING! Ugh! Glad it’s on the other side of the pond.
GROSS! I can’t believe its real.
I was grossed out before I read the Bobbit bit, now I’m really grossed out!
I can see comedy horror potential there, “the worm that ate willies” just when you thought it was safe to go skinny dipping!
It’s not gross! It’s awesome. You all share ancestors with the worm, you know. Barry is like your long-lost cousin.
SGC- Actually, having recently caught up with my long lost cousin, you’re not a million miles wrong! (apart from the penis-eating bit!)
Ugh! I don’t like worms…
Reminds me on these sweethearts : http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=videos&search_query=giant+centipede&search_sort=video_view_count
Sick stuff in my eyes.
OH my gosh there’s an International Cryptozoology Museum.
Everything about this is so cool!
‘Friends don’t let friends
play with giant squids’
Sorry, ScreamingGreenConure that ain’t no cousin of mine! How dare you insult my ancestry!
A worm sees another worm … I wonder why it eats its penis .. or is this story been made up … the black widow spider eats her man after mating ..
It’s almost as if she is very angry with the penis ..
I wonder when she gives birth after mating … she seems to keep the man to her side till they are there and then eats his penis (?) …
Nopke – I bet on that basis Freud would have a field day with this worm (quite apart from the fact that it’s obviously much longer than it is wide!)
That worm has the right idea. That’ll show those males.
SICK!!! that does not look like a worm. haha Barry.. it doesnt look like a Barry to me, more like a Phillis or something.
Who needs a vasectomy when you have the BOBBIT WORM! Perhaps a technology we should adapt?