Behavior
Pompeii worms simultaneously keep their heads (including the gills) in much cooler water while their tails are exposed to hot water (see below). Since their internal temperature has yet to be measured, it is plausible that a Pompeii worm survives exposure to hot water by dissipating heat through its head to keep its internal temperature within the realm previously known to be compatible with animal survival.
Thought to subsist on vent microbes, the Pompeii worm pokes its head out of its tube home to feed and breathe. It is the posterior end that is exposed to extreme temperatures; the anterior end stays at a much more comfortable 22 °C (72 °F).
Read more about this topic: Alvinella Pompejana
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