Ancient #BoneEatingWorms ate mosasaur, ichthyosaur and plesiosaur skeletons https://phys.org/news/2025-07-ancient-bone-worms-ate-mosasaur.html paper by Sarah Jamison-Todd et al.: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326451

"These bone-eating communities are ancient, and have been on Earth for at least 100 million years. Before #whales existed, bone-eating #worms were eating into the skeletons of #mosasaurs, #ichthyosaurs and #plesiosaurs... New research has named seven of these burrow types... some are very similar to the burrows of living #Osedax worms."

TIL; Discovered in 2002, #Osedax, or "bone-eating worms," are deep-sea annelids thriving on vertebrate bones. Their unique adaptation involves symbiotic gut bacteria, including Oceanospirillales, within specialised root-like structures aiding decomposition. These bacteria play a crucial role in breaking down bone matter, showcasing intricate microbial partnerships vital for survival.

Picture: Osedax mucofloris

#Nature #Biology #Ecology #DeepSeaLife #MarineBiology #Microbiology #Microscopy

Whale Fall https://hackeroo.co/425558

#Osedax #Methanogenesis #Science #Nature #Osteopelta #Bibcode