sea mouse

Dictionary: sea mouse

n.
Any of various large marine polychete worms of the genus Aphrodite, especially A. aculeata, having a flattened elliptic body with overlapping scales covered by long hairs.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: sea mouse

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sea mouse, marine worm of the genus Aphrodite with a short, broad, segmented body, found in moderately deep water. The upper, or dorsal, surface of a sea mouse bears 15 pairs of raised scales; the space between the scales and the body surface forms a channel for the flow of water carrying oxygen for respiration. The entire dorsal surface, including the scales, is covered by long, feltlike threads called setae, which produce a brilliant iridescence; heavier, bristlelike setae project through them. Sea mice commonly reach 6 to 8 in. (15-20 cm) in length and 2 in. (5 cm) in width. They are classified in the phylum Annelida, class Polychaeta, family Aphroditidae.

WordNet: sea mouse

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any of several large worms having a broad flattened body with a mat of coarse hairs covering the back

Wikipedia: Sea mouse

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Sea Mouse

A. aculeata (Sea mouse)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Annelida
Class:	Polychaeta
Order:	Phyllodocida
Suborder:	Aphroditoidea
Family:	Aphroditidae
Genus:	Aphrodita
Species:	A. aculeata
Binomial name
*Aphrodita aculeata* Linnaeus, 1758

The sea mouse, Aphrodita aculeata is a marine polychaete worm found in the North Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. The sea mouse normally lies buried head-first in the sand. It can live in muddy sea floors down to around 1000m.^[1]

Its body is covered in a dense mat of chaetae (hairs), from which the name "sea mouse" derives. Its scientific name is taken from Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. They may grow up to 20 cm and are active carnivores, chiefly eating other polychaetes, such as Nereis, which may be up to three times the length of the sea mouse.

The iridescent threads or setae that emerge from its scaled back are one of its unique features. Normally, these setae have a red sheen, warning off predators, but when the light shines on them perpendicularly, they flush green and blue. The setae are made of millions of submicroscopic crystals that reflect and filter the faint light of the ocean depths.

References

^ Aphrodita aculeata on Marine Species Identification Portal

External links

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Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sea mouse". Read more