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Opisthosome Like the vestimentum, the opisthosome produces new tube material and helps anchor the worm in its tube, which is often planted deep within the crevices of a black smoker. Giant tubeworms can reach well over a yard long, and the temperatures they have to cope with over that length boggle the mind. Imagine having your head in near-freezing water and your foot planted in scalding rock. That's what tubeworms have to deal with: biologists have measured temperatures at a worm's plume of 35°F while that at its base is 86°F. |
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