Sea-mouse

Sea-mouse (Aphrodite), a genus of Chætopod worms, well represented by A. aculeata, the common British species. This worm has a compact oval body, 4 to 6 inches in length by 1 to 2 in breadth, and is thickly covered with silky hairs, whose structure is such as to produce brilliant iridescence. Along the back these hairs form a matted feltwork, protecting a double row of flat plates, in part respiratory. The ventral appendages, by means of which the sea-mouse creeps along the floor of the sea, bear bundles of very strong bristles. The head bears tentacles and eyes. Internally the animal is remarkable on account of the very much branched character of the gut. The home of the sea-mouse is at the bottom of fairly deep water, but storms often throw them ashore.