Bootlace Worms Can Grow Longer Than Most Whales

The bootlace worm is one of the longest animals on Earth. They are usually about 15 to 50 feet (5 to 15 meters) long, but they are claims of them growing up to 180 feet (55 meters) long.

It's a skinny creature, not much wider than a No. 2 pencil. Yet it's one of the longest animals alive today, sometimes rivaling (or perhaps surpassing) the mighty blue whale in length, which can grow a little more than 100 feet (30 meters) long. 

 It has no heart, no spine, no body segments. It lurks in mud, sand and rocky crevices around the North Atlantic. Its mucus is surprisingly toxic — and when hunger strikes, it summons a winding, branch-like appendage that gets turned inside-out.

Its name is Lineus longissimus, or the bootlace worm. And someday, the marine oddity might be enlisted to help farmers protect their crops.

Bootlace Worms Can Grow Longer Than Most Whales