Hydrothermal Vent and Cold Seep Worms: Vestimentifera

Hydrothermal vent and cold seep worms live mostly in deep-sea waters, usually at depths greater than 0.6 miles (1 kilometer). They live along earthquake faults, or trenches, along the ocean floor. Some species attach their tubes to the chimneylike openings around deep-sea geysers called hydrothermal vents. Relatively warm water of 68°F (20°C) bubbles up through these vents. Others build their tubes near coldwater vents known as seeps. A few species are found only on whale carcasses that have settled deep on the ocean bottom.