Nature can sometimes be very surprising. And when we go into the microscopic realm, living beings look nothing like the animals we know. And that's where it gets fascinating.
Photographer Gilles Martin, in partnership with Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea), has taken a series of photographs using a scanning electron microscope to reveal the secrets of the abyss. The abyss is the area located between 4000 and 6000 m deep, which represents half of the Earth's surface and yet is little known.
A sea worm worthy of a cartoon monster!
Among the photographs taken are portraits of the polychaete worm. This worm of the Nereididae family lives in the depths around hydrothermal vents. The large hair-like features on top of its head are sensory cilia…
With its big bulging eyes, messy hair and toothless mouth, this deep-sea worm really does look like a cartoon monster!
Although the polychaete worm has a very friendly face, it is not the only micro-organism immortalized by Gilles Martin… Here are some other shots from the photo series:
