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There are many different species of worms in the animal kingdom. The
segmented, or annelid, worms are among the most unique and diverse.
This group includes the terrestrial earthworms and leech, as well as
many marine worms, both sessile and free swimming, including
bloodworms. The clamworm belongs to the free-swimming group of
segmented worms. The body of the clamworm consists of many segmented
sections, each with a pair of bristly, red, paddlelike appendages.
These paddles have gills used for respiration; they also allow the
clamworm to swim or to crawl along the sea floor.
Clamworms form transparent, mucus-lined sand burrows where they
hide during the daylight hours and come out at night to feed. A
wandering, nocturnal hunter and a swift, voracious predator, the
clamworm's keen sense of smell enables it to find prey.
The head of the clamworm houses sense organs, including four black
eyes, which register changes in water chemistry and react to light and
touch. The clamworm's proboscis is equipped with a set of jaws that
swing open and shut through quick body movements. As soon as food is
detected, the clamworm will thrust its mouth out and gray the prey with
its powerful jaws. The clamworm feeds on other worms as large or larger
than itself. It also eats algae, small crustaceans, invertebrates, and
mollusks, including clams. Clamworms in turn are a significant food
source for bottom-feeding Bay creatures and are preyed upon by horseshoe
crabs, winter flounder, tautog, and scup, to name a few.
During mating season, the clamworm releases a segment of its body
that contains gametes, or sex cells. These cast-off appendages can
often be seen swarming in groups at the surface of near-shore waters
during the spring and summer months. The adult worms remain on the
bottom and will die after spawning. These spawning aggregations attract
schools of fish, striped bass in particular, which prey upon the worms.
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