Larvae attach themselves to the lava near vents then build long, white tubes as they grow. The plume absorbs sulfurous water that a sac of bacteria inside the worm uses to generate energy and food for the worm. Jericho worms Smaller than Riftia worms, these animals build shorter, more convoluted tubes with distinct ribs. The Jerichos moved into the area of study earlier than the Riftia worms, but then the Riftia forced many of them out. Mussels Most animals in the deep sea don't bother being colorful, since there's no light, and hence no mating advantage to glamour.
Mussels are accidentally gold, owing to the make-up of their shells.
They get a nutritional boost from bacteria but can also filter food directly from the water. To anchor themselves, they shoot out elastic lines that stick to other mussels, tube worms and rocks. They can migrate by shooting new strings onto other surfaces. With no mud to burrow into, they anchor themselves by sticking their fleshy foot down into cracks in the cold lava. These look like shrunken shrimp, just fractions of an inch long.