Worms come in a variety of shapes and sizes in the ocean. The small scale worm, Harmothoe imbricata, pictured above, is named after the overlapping scales on its back. Clicking on the image will give you a view of the ventral or underside of this worm. Male and female worms of this species form pairs during the breeding season, and fertilization occurs underneath the female's scales or in seawater at the time of spawning.

Ocean worms are often called polychaetes (poly-keets) after the chaetae or bristles along their bodies. They can be found under rocks, in crevices, under mussel beds, and under material that line the bottom of tide pools. Polychaetes are known to be scavengers of organic material.