On board the Sea Bird , January 2, 2001. Snorkelers here in Baja California frequently see a brightly colored whirl of tentacles peeking out of a soft tube. When they get closer it frequently vanishes from sight with lightning speed. They have encountered a feather-duster worm, a relative of the common garden earthworm. Feather-duster worms extend their tentacles into the water to trap small plankton and other bits of edible material. Fish are attracted to these tentacles and love to nip them off for lunch. The feather-duster has evolved an escape response the allows them to retract their tentacles very quickly at the slightest touch. The tentacles will even retract when a shadow passes over them. In this way the worm lives to feed another day, and we snorkelers can continue to marvel at their beauty.