 : Bristle Worms
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Body Form: The annelid body plan includes a segmented body with repeating internal organs. Most marine annelids have bristles that can be released to irritate an attacker. Their digestive tracts pass food from a mouth through a long intestine. Most species are nocturnal. The tube worms build calcerous tubes in which they hide, except when they erect bristle-like structures to feed.
Diet: The segmented worms are generally scavengers, but some species prey on corals, flatworms, mollusks, or crustaceans. Some species are filter feeding planktivores.
Natural History: The annelids are a major part of the marine food chain, feeding mollusks, fish, and other animals around them. Many of the burrowing species help to move sand and aerate the substrate, recycling the detritus that falls to the ocean floor.
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