Tube Worms

So I was watching the discovery channel and it was a show about the deep sea. It got to a section about tube worms and it said they were one of the oldest living marine animals on earth. Tube worms can live for a period of time. Tube worms can grow up to 2.4 meters in length. It takes about 175 to 200 years for them to grow at least 2 meters. Some tube worms live for much much longer than that. Tube worm colonies can live for about 1000 years but an individual can't. Tube worms can tolerate extremely high temperatures and sulfur levels. They are found near black smokers and that is how they feed, but they have no digestive tract. Tube worms have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that perform chemosynthesis. These bacteria live within specific organs of the tube worm and they make up a good amount of the tube worm's weight. The tube worm's red plume- organ used to exchange compounds with the environment- provides the bacteria with nutrients, and the bacteria perform chemosynthesis and allow the tube worms to feed.