This week I started working out the main form structure of a plankton worm using black foam. The bodies of plankton worms are translucent, but because they are located in the deep sea I thought black would help bring out the light more.
An interesting ability that this Tomopteris helgolandica has is that in addition to the blue glow that all the plankton worms can emit, this species can also emit a yellow light from the tips of its parapodia. Yellow light is a rare sight in the deep sea, so it is thought that it emits the yellow light when bothered and uses it to distract and confuse predators. I have multiple lighting options in the form of UV-activated paint and battery-powered lights, and am experimenting on which glow would best exemplify each process.
