Bobbit Worm

Fascinating facts about the Bobbit Worm

• The longest confirmed individual measured 299 cm. Some fishermen report seeing specimens over 3 metres during dredging operations.
• Its jaws are made of the same protein found in spider silk — flexible enough to bend but hard enough to cut through bone.
• Named after the 1993 Lorena Bobbitt case, due to the female worm occasionally biting off the male's reproductive segment during mating.

At a glance

About the Bobbit Worm

The Bobbit Worm spends its entire adult life buried vertically in the ocean floor, exposing only its five sensory antennae at the surface. When a fish swims over, it lunges with jaws powerful enough to cut prey in half, dragging the victim underground to eat.

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