Hey Everyone!
Welcome to my blog, “The World of a (milky) Ribbon Worm”, where I will share my growing knowledge about the Milky Ribbon Worm known as Cerebratulus lacteus. I personally did not know a single thing about this milk ribbon worm, but on this journey, we will all grow together.
The Milk Ribbon worm is a marine organism typically found “in the wild” around sand, mudflats, or on the coast located near the Atlantic Ocean. Many sitings of these worms have been in North America!
Here are a few interesting facts about the milky Ribbon Worm:
- They do not have eyes! This is a very intriguing aspect of the worm, considering that the Cerebratulus lacteus are said to be rather intense predators; it will be interesting to understand how exactly they go about attacking their prey.
- This milky worm can either be pink or a white “flesh-like” color, as seen in the image below.
- Further research into milky ribbon worms has explained that these worms are capable of secreting toxins that can break down red blood cells.
Pictured is a pink- colored milky ribbon worm, Cerebratulus lacteus.
Citations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/192647-Cerebratulus-lacteus
http://intertidal-novascotia.blogspot.com/2012/05/cerebratulus-lacteus-milky-ribbon-worm.html
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/14836795 (photo)
Wow! Your blog visuals are awesome and after reading this I wish I had visited the CDC myself. I have never known anything about this organism, but after reading your blog I feel as though I know enough information. Also, what are some methods that allow the spores to reach humans? What are some vectors that would carry the infection to us?
Hey Hayley!
Thanks for the compliments on my blog! In terms of how B. anthracis, the spores can get into humans by most commonly by inhalation and ingesting contaminated food containing the microbe’s spores. Cows can typically act as vectors for anthrax.