Scientists Discover 'Zombie Worms' That Can Devour Whole Alligators

Back in 2019, a group of researchers wanted to stir excitement down in the murky recesses of the sea by conducting a unique experiment.  The team, from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), dropped three dead alligators 6,560 feet down into the Gulf of Mexico to see how deep-dwelling creatures would react to an uncommon food source.

The scientists thought that the tough hide of the reptiles would put scavengers off, because it would make it hard for them to reach the more desirable soft flesh.  Boy, were they wrong!

Within a day, nine large (foot long) isopods (Bathynomus giganteus) were observed feasting on the first carcass, eventually penetrating its hide and eating their meal from the inside out.  The second gator, dropped around 60 miles away, was almost totally devoured – leaving behind nothing more than its skull, spine, and the rope and weight that were used to anchor it to the sea floor.

 The researchers documented that the thick-skinned reptiles had been targeted by a brand new species of bone-eating worm.  They concluded that it appeared to be a member of the Osedax family – commonly known as "zombie worms" because they suck away at, and live off, the bones of the dead – which had never been seen around Mexico before.