#riftia

Carbon-fixing autotroph ✅

Delicate branching foliage ✅

Provides habitat and shelter for other organisms ✅

Is extremely pretty ✅

Guys I think giant tube worms are trees

experiencing some adverse effects of prolonged exposure to aquarium dimension? don’t worry. just let the tides consume you. sink into the depths. it will be fine

in other words i found my sketchbook so that’s cool.

Giant tube worm (Riftia pachyptila)

Tectonic shifts can get anyone heated. When the Earth's inner turmoil boils over, a good vent helps blow off steam—and deep-sea vent worms will likely be there to listen! These towering tubular tenants ingest sulfurous snacks sent skyward by seafloor smokers, which symbiotic bacteria synthesize into tasty entrées directly in the worm's entrails!