Where do polychaetes live?
Polychaete worms live in every type of habitat in the seas—they can be found in the sands of any beach, all the way down to the deepest depths of the oceans. There are, however, a few species that do live in freshwater. Most polychaetes make the sea floor their home, where they burrow through sand and mud, or crawl over the sediment surface. There are some species that are fully pelagic, spending their entire life swimming in the water column. Because of their vast abundance, polychaetes comprise an extremely important link in ocean food chains. As a result, polychaetes are one of the most important groups of organisms for assessing the health of marine ecosystems. Because polychaetes are soft-bodied animals, their main mode of defense is to remain hidden either by living in a burrow or to produce some kind of tube. The tubes of most polychaetes are formed from the mucus secreted from the body surface. Once secreted, mucus hardens when coming into contact with sea water. Most species o
