Have you ever heard of a Polychaete? These abundant and diverse marine invertebrates play a major role in marine ecosystems. Not bad looking either. ---> australianmuseum.net.au/polychaetes Photos © Australian Museum. | Australian Museum

This braided beauty is a polychaete worm in the genus Travisiopsis. 🤩 Polychaete worms are common in the ocean. These worms have segmented bodies with paddle-like feet or parapodia on each segment. Most have bristles, or chaetae, that they use for defense, crawling, or swimming. ⁠ You can search for midwater worms by playing Fathomverse, a free mobile game featuring images from MBARI ROVs and more partners. 🌊📱 Download the game and play today: https://www.fathomverse.game/ | MBARI

To describe this polychaete, one simply must use jazz hands — it is the only way to capture this deep-sea worm’s dazzle! According to our friend Leo at Natural World Facts, the species name means many bristles. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia covered in bristles called chaetae. Some worms are bioluminescent, but this sassy sparkler has protein structures in the bristles that make them iridescent. Polychaetes play a vital role throughout our global Ocean, from