When people think of worms, they usually think "Yuck," but this annelid (segmented worm) must be one of the most beautiful deep-sea creatures. (The head is on the lower left.) As with other examples on this site, the blue color is not bioluminescence. It is iridescence caused when structures on the back of the worm are illuminated. It is not clear whether this effect has any function, since this particular worm lives 3000 meters below the surface, where the only light is bioluminescence. Closely related worms have scales which do produce bioluminescence when the animal is disturbed.

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