Q: While fishing a reef out of Georgetown, South Carolina, my buddy dropped a shrimp to the    bottom in 40 feet of water. When he pulled up his hook, it had a large caterpillar-like thing on it. It looked like a grub on steroids with a punk haircut. We named it Catazilla! It measured a bit less than 4 inches long and approximately 2 inches in diameter (including its "hair"). As you can see in the picture, it swallowed the 3/0 circle hook down to the hook's eye. I looked on several websites, but couldn't find anything that resembles Catazilla. Can you identify this creature from the deep?

Scoty-Lee Roberts
Camden, South Carolina

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A: This might be a case where the bait gets even. Your catch is a marine segmented worm belonging to the genus Chloeia. Although I can't be certain of the exact species, it looks like a red-tipped fireworm, (Chloeia viridis), although South Carolina is a bit farther north than this species usually ranges. I just hope you didn't try to unhook your catch with your bare hands! The members of this genus, along with closely related worms, are collectively called "bristleworms" or "fireworms" for good reason. The stiff, hair-like bristles that protrude from their bodies contain painful toxins. Particularly voracious as marine worms go, they frequently engulf baits, hooks and all, just as this one did. Although they most often live on the seafloor, these worms can swim and are sometimes attracted to lights hung over the water at night. Some fireworms grow to slightly more than a foot long, but they can greatly contract their bodies when necessary. This worm illustrates a very important rule concerning marine organisms: If you catch an organism and don't know what it is, don't touch it! — Ray Waldner