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What they eat
Lugworms lie dug down in the sand within a U-shaped pipe. One end of the pipe is covered by sediment that normally forms a funnel shaped depression, while the other end is open and where the worms excrement is ejected. The worm creates a current of water (from the rear and forward) through its pipe and particles of food that are suspended in the water fasten in the sediment. After a while the worm swallows the sand from below and thereby consumes the particles that have fastened in the sand. Normally the worm ejects a pile of excrement every 45 minutes. Under favourable conditions it can take 3 hours from when the sand (food) is swallowed and the resulting excrement becames visible. A lugworm can annually transport 23-24 kg of sand through its intestines. Compared to a common mussel of the same weight, the lugworm has the ability to pump (if continual) about a tenth of the amount of water.
More
The lugworm is often used
as fishing bait.
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