Ice worm

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Ice worm refers to any of a number of species of worm that live in glacial ice, such as Mesenchytraeus solifugus, M. harrimani, M. kuril, M. maculatus, and M. obscurus.

The first ice worm species were discovered in 1887 in Alaska, on the Muir Glacier. These glacier ice worms can be found on glaciers in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. They have not been found in other glaciated regions of the world. The name "solifugus" is Latin for "sun-avoiding", as ice worms retreat underneath the ice before dawn. Enzymes in ice worms have very low optimal temperatures, and can be denatured at even a few degrees above 0°C. When ice worms are exposed to temperatures as low as 5°C, their membranes melt and the worm itself liquifies. Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white in color. The ice worms come to the surface of the glaciers in the evening and morning. On Suiattle glacier in the North Cascades population counts indicated over 7 billion ice worms on that glacier alone.

It is not known how ice worms tunnel through the ice. Some scientists believe they travel through microscopic fissures in ice sheets, while others believe they secrete some chemical which can melt ice by lowering its freezing point, like an antifreeze. They feed on snow algae.

In 1997, methane clathrate deposits in the ocean floor were found to be inhabited by a specialized worm of the class polychaete. The worms were given a species name, Hesiocaeca methanicola, and are often called Methane Ice Worms.

[edit] Ice worms in culture

Scottish-born Canadian poet of the Yukon Robert W. Service wrote a poem, "Ballad of the Ice-worm Cocktail", in which a fake ice worm made of spaghetti is the subject of a bar bet. This may have contributed to the impression that ice worms are mythical creatures.

The small town of Cordova, Alaska has an annual Ice Worm Festival in February, in which a long imitation ice worm is paraded through the streets rather like a Chinese new year dragon dance.