Project Description
Soda Straw Worm Casing
Kinbergonuphis jenneri
Range/Geographical Distribution: Southeastern United States.
Habitat: Intertidal sand flats.
Description: A gray, slim, flexible tube covered in sand that resembles a soda straw in appearance. The worm that inhabits the tube is pink and has well developed jaws.
Size: The worm that makes these tubes can reach 28 inches in length.
Food: Unknown.
Breeding: Unknown.
Predators: Birds, crabs, and fish.
Conservation Status: No legal status.
Interesting Facts: Two other species of worms live with soda straw worms and use hydrogen sulfide oxidation as a source of energy.
On the Coast: Soda straw worm casings wash up on calm, protected parts of Georgia’s beaches, sometimes by the hundreds, and can look like trash along the water line.