Around the deep-sea vents we just described live some of the strangest animals on the planet - giant tube worms. These are exactly what they sound like: pinkish, 6-foot-tall tubes anchored to the rock, with bright red feathery tops that wave like flowers in the current.
The wild thing about them is that they don’t eat. They have no mouth. They have no gut. They have no digestive system at all. So how do they survive?
Inside their bodies they grow trillions of bacteria. The bacteria take chemicals from the vent water - particularly hydrogen sulfide, which would kill most animals - and turn it into food. The tube worm gives the bacteria a safe home and a constant supply of nutrients. The bacteria, in return, feed their landlord. It’s farming, but with the farm growing inside the farmer.
