Marine worm with enormous eyes 20 times size of head leaves scientists perplexed [Video]

Scientists are perplexed by the discovery of a marine worm with giant eyes that are 20 times heavier than its head and that give it vision as sharp as a mammal.

The eyes of the Vanadis bristle worm, found around the Italian island of Ponza, also enable the species to have a secretive language that is only seen by their own kind in the dark depths of the sea, researchers suspect.

The nocturnal worm’s eyes are so large that if humans had eyes proportionally as big, they would add an extra 100 kg to our heads.

Its eyes provide the worm “outstanding vision” on a par with that of mice or rats, enabling the species to see small objects and track their movements in the sea at night, scientists say.

“It’s really interesting because an ability like this is …