Dictionary

bone-eating snot flower worm en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /boʊn itɪŋ ˈsnɑt flaʊɚ wɝm/ (US)
• /bəʊn iːtɪŋ ˈsnɒt flaʊə wɜːm/ (UK)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

A slight misunderstanding of the taxonomic name Osedax mucofloris, which actually means "snot-flower bone-eater", with mucofloris modifying Osedax rather than the other way around.

Meanings

1. A worm-like creature, Osedax mucofloris, that feeds on the carcasses of minke whales in the North Sea.
   • Such a range of habitats along with a wide range of feeding strategies, including predation, deposit feeding, filter feeding, parasitism and symbiosis, as well as the unusual strategy adopted by the bone-eating snot-flower worm 2012, DEK Ferrier, “Evolutionary crossroads in developmental biology: annelids”, in Development:
   • Once all the meat has been stripped away, even the bones provide food for a creature called the "bone-eating snot flower worm" (Osedax mucofloris). 2010 May 27, “Creatures of the deep surface at new exhibition”, in CNN:
   • Bone-eating snot flower (Osedax mucofloris) is the unglamorous name given to a species of worm discovered feeding off minke whale carcasses in the North Sea 2005 October 19, “Bone-eating snot flower worm hitches a ride on whales”, in The Guardian:
   • Known informally as the bone-eating snot-flower worm, it looks like a frilly pink plume growing up out of sheer bone 2010 October 21, “Los Angeles News - Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Column”, in LA Weekly:

Forms

Relateds

Osedax

Synonyms

bone-eating snot flower

Translations (1)

fi Osedax mucofloris -mato (Osedax mucofloris)