A garden growing from whale bones

These “flowers” are worms growing out of whale bones.

Dense red Osedax rubiplumus plumes growing from whale bones on the seafloor — MBARI; six-second excerpt of its original ROV footage. Original watermark retained.

Osedax worms have no mouth or gut. Root-like tissue penetrates the bone, while bacteria living inside the worms help them obtain nutrients.

A whale skull on the deep seafloor provides the wider habitat context — MBARI research image from the Osedax studies project.

A closer view of Osedax packardorum on whale bone — Greg Rouse, via MBARI; original photograph resized.

These “flowers” are worms growing out of whale bones.
Osedax worms have no mouth or gut. Root-like tissue penetrates the bone, while bacteria living inside the worms help them obtain nutrients.
Even a skeleton can become an ecosystem.

A garden growing from whale bones

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