Can polychaetes hurt me?
There is only one group of polychaetes that are capable of inflicting pain, and these are known as “fire worms.” Fire worms are members of the family Amphinomidae, and one of the distinctive characteristics of the group is that their chaetae contain calcium carbonate, making them very stiff and brittle. Plus, the tips of the chaetae have barbs, giving them the appearance of harpoons, and chaetae are often produced in dense bundles along the body. In subtropical and tropical waters, fire worms, of several inches and up to one foot in length, can be found crawling over the surfaces of rocks, coral, or sand. If an unsuspecting snorkeler picks up a fire worm with their bare hand, hundreds of little chaetae get embedded in the skin, breaking off like little splinters. Because the interior of the chaetae are hollow, the liquid inside causes an immune reaction in victims, resulting in swelling, blistering of the skin, and inflammation. Hence the reference to these polychaetes as “fire worms.
There is only one group of polychaetes that are capable of inflicting pain, and these are known as “fire worms.” Fire worms are members of the family Amphinomidae, and one of the distinctive characteristics of the group is that their chaetae contain calcium carbonate, making them very stiff and brittle. Plus, the tips of the chaetae have barbs, giving them the appearance of harpoons, and chaetae are often produced in dense bundles along the body. In subtropical and tropical waters, fire worms, of several inches and up to one foot in length, can be found crawling over the surfaces of rocks, coral, or sand. If an unsuspecting snorkeler picks up a fire worm with their bare hand, hundreds of little chaetae get embedded in the skin, breaking off like little splinters. Because the interior of the chaetae are hollow, the liquid inside causes an immune reaction in victims, resulting in swelling, blistering of the skin, and inflammation.
