A creature believed to be extinct was found in the Philippines.
The discovery was made possible by Filipino television: in one of the programs, strange "worms" were shown sticking out of a puddle of thick mud "like carrots." Local scientists drew attention to this information, turned to colleagues from the University of Utah and other scientific institutions of the world, and went to the site with an expedition. The result exceeded all expectations: biologists discovered the mollusk Kuphus polythalamia.
It was previously known from fragments kept in museums; Among them were giant hollow tubes (shell), but the anatomy of the animal remained a mystery.
Due to a lack of information, it was previously classified as a worm, but a living sample about a meter long made it possible to clarify its species identity. Kuphus polythalamia is a bivalve mollusc from the shipworm family.
The family got its name because of its unusual diet: its representatives feed on the rotting remains of ships and other wooden objects. They do not have their own enzymes for cleaving cellulose; the reaction is carried out by symbiotic bacteria filling the extensive blind outgrowth of the stomach (cecum).
"Common" shipworms get their name from the fact that they are found on ships and feed on wood. At the same time, little was known about the place of residence and diet of their giant brethren. Scientists claim that the organism they discovered can be called a "unicorn among mollusks", since the hope of catching them has long been perceived by the scientific community as an almost impossible dream.
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At the same time, if ordinary shipworms themselves look for wood under water, then the giant "shipworms" Kuphus polythalamia just need to settle in the mud. It is rich in organic matter that produces hydrogen sulfide. The bacteria that fill the worm's cecum absorb hydrogen sulfide, using it as an energy source to form carbon. This process is similar to photosynthesis except that gases are used instead of sunlight.
The study of Kuphus polythalamia continues: scientists are interested in finding an evolutionary link that made shipworms change wood for fetid fumes.