# ID weird worms from vague description **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704 "2009-06-23T11:49:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704/1 "2009-06-23T11:49:37Z")
I am posting this for someone else. Here’s the description: I saw a “discovery channel” type show at a friends house a few years back that featured a really creepy ocean animal very much like the “swamp worms” in king kong '05, but cannot find anything using all sorts of “creature that’s just a mouth” & “ocean hydra” etc. type searches online. i could have sworn they’re called hydras They have upwards pointing mouths like the swamp worms on a stalk with an inverted mushroom base. they have no sensory organs at all. they are literally just mouths & very creepy. Their teeth are only around their mouth like flower petals. otherwise, the resemblance is scary. That’s it. Anyone??? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704/2 "2009-06-23T12:01:11Z")
WTF is a swamp worm? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704/3 "2009-06-23T12:05:39Z")
Hmm. There’s no shortage of creepy worm like things in the ocean, but I can’t think of anything that matches those worms. Are you describing a sessile (non-moving) animal? Those probably won’t have teeth, since they are usually filter feeders that eat tiny things floating through the water. That might be a [crinoid](http://images.google.com/images?q=crinoid&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=0cFASqK5A4aJtgfxvNmbCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title). It sort of sounds like your description, but they’re rather flower-like and not very creepy IMO. There are also various [tube worms](http://images.google.com/images?q=tube+worm&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=7sFASva1AcKLtgesw_2UCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title), but again there are no teeth. There are a couple weird fish that might be part of what you’re thinking of. [Hagfish](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=hagfish&btnG=Search+images&aq=f&oq=) and [lampreys](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=lamprey&btnG=Search+images&aq=f&oq=) come to mind, especially if you just look at their mouths. Maybe it was some sort of very small parasitic worm? ETA: [Here’s](http://www.moviedeaths.com/king_kong/lumpy/) a (rather gruesome) site with pictures of the worms from King Kong. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704/4 "2009-06-23T12:49:31Z")
[Sea anemones](http://www.slac.stanford.edu/econf/C0508213/PHOTOS/5_TOURS/5_004.JPG)? For those whose work blocks the site that **lazybratsche** linked to for pics of the swamp worms, [here](http://worldsofimagination.com/Carnictis.JPG) is a good pic. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-weird-worms-from-vague-description/500704/5 "2009-06-23T14:01:18Z")
Some form of bristleworm, maybe? There was a recent case in the news where a four foot specimen was found responsible for a sudden decline in fish population in an aquarium. They named him [Barry](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1165930/Barry-giant-sea-worm-discovered-aquarium-staff-mysterious-attacks-coral-reef.html). [Here’s](http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/Content/translucent-bristleworm-arndt-1151432-ga.jpg) a pic of something somewhat reminiscent of the King Kong critters, though thankfully a little smaller…