The osedax are a genus of whalebone-eating siboglinids (deep sea worms), first discovered in Monterey Bay, California, in June 2004. They have no stomachs or mouths and digest whale fat and oils through bacteria. They have colorful feathery plumes that act as gills, and roots that absorb their nutrition. Between 50 and 100 microscopic dwarf males live inside the females. Although all the males never developed past their larval stage, they contain large amounts of sperm. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Classes and subclasses Class Polychaeta (paraphyletic?) Class Clitellata    Oligochaeta - Earthworms and others    Acanthobdellida    Branchiobdellida    Hirudinea - Leeches Class Myzostomida Class Archiannelida (polyphyletic) Class Echiura *Some authors consider the subclasses under Clitellata to be classes The annelids, collectively called Annelida, are a large phylum of animals, comprising the segmented worms, with about... Orders Amphinomida Capitellida Chaetopterida Cirratulida Cossurida Ctenodrillidae Eunicida Flabelligerida Magelonida Myzostomida Nerillida Opheliida Orbiniida Orweniida Phyllodocida Pisionidae Polygordiida Protodrilida Psammodrilidae Sabellida Spionida Spintheridae Sternaspida Terebellida The Polychaeta or Polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine, with a pair of fleshy protrusions on each body segment called parapodia that... In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a grouping in the classification of living organisms having one or more related and morphologically similar species. ... Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, on the coast of California, south of San Francisco. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In anatomy, the stomach (in ancient Greek στόμαχος) is an organ in the alimentary canal used to digest food. ... Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. ... Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic placental mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... Look up fat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Closeup on a single white feather A feather is one of the epidermal growths that forms the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on a bird. ... Plume may refer to any of the following: A geologic process associated with upwelling rock, see mantle plume. ... In aquatic organisms, gills are a respiratory organ for the extraction of oxygen from water and for the excretion of carbon dioxide. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... Nutrition is the study of the relationship between diet and states of health and disease. ... A dwarf is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology, fairy tales, fantasy fiction and role-playing games. ... Male symbol Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperm. ... Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Sperm is an exocrine secretion of male animal gonads that contains spermatozoa. ...

Osedax is latin for "bone-eating". The two species discovered within this genus are called rubiplumus and frankpressi. The worms were discovered living in a decaying gray whale in the Monterey Canyon, at a depth of 2,800 m (9,100 feet) using the submarine ROV Tiburon. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ... Binomial name Eschrichtius robustus Lilljeborg, 1861 Gray Whale range The Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a whale which travels between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. ...

External links

• Press release describing discovery of Osedax