The Worm That Eats Bones… Without a Mouth

Bone-eating worms (Osedax spp.) are among the strangest creatures in the deep sea. They have no mouths, no stomachs, and yet they feast on the hardest part of a whale’s body—the skeleton. Females grow root-like tendrils that bore into bones, while microscopic males live inside them, invisible and dependent. Ancient fossil scars show that Osedax may have been eating bones for over 100 million years, making them custodians of death and recyclers of the abyss. This video uncovers their hidden life, their bizarre biology, and the philosophy they embody: that nothing, not even bones, lasts forever.