Discovering new marine pests

A group of British and Swedish scientists have discovered a new marine worm on a whale in the North Sea, on Swedish waters.

This new animal, called Osedax mucofloris, is often found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean but this is the first time they have been found in the North Sea.

Osedax mucofloris is 1 to 2 cm long, shaped like flowers that grow out of whale bones. They cling to the whale bone, relying on drawing oil from the bones with the help of symbiotic bacteria and sucking oxygen from the water. A part of the deep sea floating on the water surface is covered with a protective mucous membrane.

Scientists say they still do not know the reproductive process of Osedax mucofloris in Sweden, because they only find all females and no males yet.