Bloodworms are so called because they are bright red, the colour of blood. The most common is Tubifex, the freshwater bloodworm which is sold as fish food and so if often seen in pet shops. Bloodworms have thin very delicate bodies that can grow up to about nine centimetres lond. They live in mud at the bottom of lakes and rivers, often in areas where the water is heavily polluted and low in oxygen content.
Bloodworms absorb dissolved oxygen through their skins. The vast number of blood vessels in the worms tiny body, many of them very near the skin, are what gives the worm its colour. The worms also 'breathe' through the linings of their intestines. They have the bizarre method of drawing water in through their anus and into the intestine, and expelling old water once they have absorbed oxygen from it. They do this about ten times every minute.
Bloodworms absorb dissolved oxygen through their skins. The vast number of blood vessels in the worms tiny body, many of them very near the skin, are what gives the worm its colour. The worms also 'breathe' through the linings of their intestines. They have the bizarre method of drawing water in through their anus and into the intestine, and expelling old water once they have absorbed oxygen from it. They do this about ten times every minute.
