Osedax mucofloris
Encyclopedia
Osedax mucofloris is a species of bathypelagic
Polychaete
s that is reported to sustain itself on the bones of dead whale
s. Translated from the mixed Greek and Latin used in scientific names
, "Osedax mucofloris" literally
means "bone-eating snot-flower".
episode The Shallow in the Deep
, helping to prove that one of the skeletons was much more recent than the others found in a sunken slave ship.
Bathyal zone
The bathyal zone or bathypelagic – from Greek βαθύς , deep – is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 1000 to 4000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The average temperature hovers at about 39°F...
Polychaete
Polychaete
The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...
s that is reported to sustain itself on the bones of dead whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s. Translated from the mixed Greek and Latin used in scientific names
International Scientific Vocabulary
International scientific vocabulary comprises scientific and specialized words whose language of origin may or may not be certain, but which are in current use in several modern languages. The name "International Scientific Vocabulary" was first used by Philip Gove in Webster’s Third New...
, "Osedax mucofloris" literally
Literal translation
Literal translation, or direct translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another "word-for-word" rather than conveying the sense of the original...
means "bone-eating snot-flower".
In popular culture
Osedax mucofloris was a plot device in the BonesBones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
episode The Shallow in the Deep
Bones (season 6)
The sixth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 23, 2010, and concluded on May 19, 2011, on the Fox Network. The show maintained its previous time slot, airing on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET and then moved to Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET in 2011...
, helping to prove that one of the skeletons was much more recent than the others found in a sunken slave ship.