On International Polychaete Day, we’re celebrating a worm that likes it hot. ♨️ The Pompeii worm (Alvinella pompejana) makes its home at the top of hydrothermal vent “chimneys,” where superheated water belches from within the Earth’s crust delivering a rain of mineral “ash.” Here, large numbers of worms live side by side, each darting in and out of their paper-thin tubes while waving pointy, rust-colored gills. Learn more in our Creature feature: https://www.mbari.org/products/creature-feature/p