Larvaceans’ underwater ‘snot palaces’ boast elaborate plumbing

Secreted from the heads of tiny sea creatures, mucus homes are filtration marvels

Bathochordaeus mcnutti

Sea creatures called giant larvaceans (Bathochordaeus mcnutti, shown) construct elaborate “houses” made of mucus. A new study shows that the inner part of the house turns out to hide an engineering marvel of channels and chambers that help harvest food particles.

© 2002 MBARI

Underwater laser scans have revealed new details of how sea creatures called giant larvaceans feed themselves by flapping a filmy tail inside a cloud of snot.