Tamilok shipworm discovered in Bohol
Published on: Saturday, June 22, 2019
BOHOL: The humble shipworm is so abundant in Philippine waters that it is a common delicacy across the archipelago, known locally as “tamilok” (pic).But scientists are quickly learning that the Philippines is home to a bizarre array of these creatures, with features and abilities previously unknown to science. Shipworms are so named because they usually eat wood, and sailors the world over have regarded them as pests for centuries.
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But recently, a joint team of scientists from the US and the Philippines discovered a shipworm that eats solid rock. The creature, found exclusively in the Abatan River in Bohol, is so unique that it has been classified into an entirely new genus and species: Lithoredo abatanica.
This new tamilok species is the only known shipworm that boasts the ability to eat its way through limestone.
“It’s not only burrowing in the stone, it actually eats the stone,” said Dan Distel, the director of Northeastern University’s Ocean Genome Legacy project, in a YouTube video.
Lithoredo abatanica follows on the heels of the recent discovery of another new tamilok genus and species in Batangas, Tamilokus mabinia.
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Science Institute professor Dr. Gisela Concepcion had the honour of giving the shipworm its uniquely Filipino name.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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