News Paleontology

‘Penis worms’ may have been the original hermits

Soft-bodied critters inhabited abandoned shells about 500 million years ago, researchers say

illustration of a penis worm on the ocean floor

Sea creatures known as penis worms (one illustrated) hid out in empty shells, possibly for protection, about 500 million years ago, newly described fossils suggest.

Zhiqian Zhang/ Yunnan University

By Sid Perkins

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Hermit crabs have been taking shelter in abandoned shells for millions of years, but scientists now have evidence suggesting that the “hermit” lifestyle has existed far longer than that.