A New Species Found In Scottish Waters With Eyes in its head and it's Bum

A New Species Found In Scottish Waters With  Eyes in its head and  its Bum
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Highlights

Scientists revealed the bizarre find after it was unearthed just off the coast of Shetland, the Ampharethe culicirrata, it was located after a team of boffins searched previously unexplored seabeds.

Scientists revealed the bizarre find after it was unearthed just off the coast of Shetland, the Ampharethe culicirrata, it was located after a team of boffins searched previously unexplored seabeds.

They found the worm at the bottom of the sea bed- and it' been discovered off the coast of Scotland. But this is no ordinary worm- the newcomer has a unique anatomy, with its eyes in its head and in its bottom!

This new species, now given the scientific name Ampharethe culicirrata, was discovered by Scientists from the Joint Nature Conservative Committee (JNCC), Marine Scotland Science (MSS) and Thomson Environmental Consultants. Whilst surveying the West Shetland Shelf Marine Protected Area.

Like other Polychaetes ( a class of segmented marine worm), A Oculicirrata is a bottom-feeder, which is well illustrated by the tangle of food - snatching tentacles near its mouth. As for the butt eyes? It's not uncommon for polychaetes to host multiple sets of eyes along with their wriggly little bodies (having a dispersed visual network can help marine worms better detect the shadows of predatory fish); but; accordingly, to the study authors, A. Oculicirrata's posterior peepers are relatively rare among its closest relatives.

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