Christmas Tree Worm

Christmas Tree Worm

These beautiful invertebrate worms are vibrant and vary in color, and their unique shape has earned them their name.

The “Christmas Trees” that you see aren’t the whole worm. They are its radioles. Radioles are like antennae on top of the worm's head. These are used to catch plankton for food and breathe. Each worm has 2 radioles.

Christmas Tree Worms are found on the surface of coral. They will let the coral grow around them to encase them in a tube for protection. When they are disturbed, they can retract back inside of this tube in the coral very quickly.

Because they are so easily disturbed, the best way to get an up close look at a Christmas Tree Worm is to find one and approach it. It will then usually retract into its tube in the coral, but if you wait around long enough, usually it will pop back out.