Several thousand meters below the surface, a small worm swims just above the bottom. Swima bombiviridis has bags near the head that seem modest as long as it is not disturbed. When they come off, they emit a green light in the dark.
The researchers described this worm in 2009, along with other related species. The nickname "green bomber" comes from these light capsules released. It does not refer to a chemical explosion or an animal launching deadly projectiles. Light can attract attention elsewhere as the worm moves away.
The defensive role has been proposed to explain this reaction; liberation and luminescence are observed. This nuance takes nothing away from the strangeness of the scene. For a small animal exposed in a dark ocean, a detachable part of its own body can become a signal visible enough that the rest has time to disappear.
What we know
observed luminous capsules; diversion function interpreted as a defensive hypothesis in the discovery publication.
To go to the source
References consulted on 3 October 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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