Sea Mouse

Also known as Common Sea Mouse

Sea mice are marine bristle worms whose dense coat of hair-like setae gives them the uncanny appearance of small, furry mammals crawling across the seabed. Beneath the muddy exterior, microscopic photonic crystal structures inside their lateral spines reflect incoming light into vivid iridescent flashes of red, green, and blue. They plow through soft sediments to hunt other polychaetes and small invertebrates, often burying themselves head-first until only the tail remains exposed to breathe.