Definitions for ice worm
ice worm

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ice wormnoun

   any of several worms, of the genus Mesenchytraeus, that inhabit glacial ice

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ice worm

   Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus Mesenchytraeus. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine habitats, but the best-known members of the genus are found in glacial ice. They include the only annelid worms known to spend their entire lives in glacial ice, and some of the few metazoans to complete their entire life cycle at conditions below 0 °C (32 °F). They were discovered in a wide range of environments, which include level snowfields, steep avalanche cones, crevasse walls, glacial rivers and pools, and hard glacier ice. These organisms are unique in that they can simply move between tightly packed ice crystals. They utilize setae, which are small bristles found on the outside of their bodies, to grip the ice and pull themselves along. The genus contains 77 species, including the North American glacier ice worm (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) and the Yosemite snow worm (Mesenchytraeus gelidus).Ice worms eat snow algae and bacteria. They live at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), but if temperatures dip even slightly below that, according to a Washington State University researcher, the worms die.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ice worm

   Ice worms are species of the genus Mesenchytraeus, and represent the only annelid worms known to spend their entire lives in glacial ice. They include Mesenchytraeus solifugus, M. harrimani, M. kuril, M. maculatus and M. obscurus. The first ice worms 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 specific 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 high as 5 °C, their membrane structures disassociate and fall apart causing the worm itself to "liquify." Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white in color. They 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.

How to pronounce ice worm?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ice worm in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ice worm in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ice_Worm
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Worm
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=ice worm