Shells of worm snails, also known as vermetids, from a Waialua beach. Some people call these mollusks tube snails, but since the reef also hosts abundant species of tube worms, this name is confusing.

Hermit crabs move into other animals’ discarded shells as shelter, because the ocean is a treacherous place, full of hungry predators. Half a billion years ago, another creature evolved the same ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Nothing else in the ocean quite compares to the penis worm. At ...

A new study found that an ancient, odd-looking creature used shells to protect itself long before the hermit crab, a remarkable discovery that scientists say is the earliest example of the hermit life ...

Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto. Penis ...

Although 2020 may have brought the hermit lifestyle to its zenith, a team of scientists from Durham University in England and Yunnan University in China now says the way of living first appeared in ...

Ancient fossils unearthed in Morocco reveal parasitic worms burrowing into mollusc shells approximately 480 million years ago, pushing back the known timeline for parasitism by 60 million years. This ...

So-called “penis worms” get attention for all the wrong reasons. But new research finds they may have been early pioneers in a creative survival technique. By Asher Elbein Consider this evolutionary ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. In the depths of ...

PADRE ISLAND, Texas – The image below may look like a long rope covered in seashells or a unique shell, but according to Padre Island National Seashore, that’s not the case. At first glance, this ...

For a long time, scientists believed that parasitic relationships between marine species developed much later in Earth’s history. But new fossil evidence from Morocco suggests otherwise. A recent ...