Bone-Eating 'Zombie' Worms Drill With Acid

Osedax is a genus of deep-sea siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called boneworms, zombie worms, or bone-eating worms, the name alluding to how the worms bore into the bones of whale carcasses to reach enclosed lipids, on which they rely for sustenance.

Until now scientists did not understand how the tiny creatures fed on bone, as they lack the body parts needed to drill physically. Fresh analysis by US scientists of the root-like tissues the worms use to attach to bones has identified acid-secreting enzymes.