This photograph was taken in Bequia, one of the Islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in the West Indies.

The Christmas Tree Worm is a brightly coloured worm species found throughout the coral reefs of the world. They are difficult to approach and photograph, as the slightest disturbance in the water will cause them to instantly retract into their burrow. They belong to the calcareous tube dwelling worm family (Serpulidae) and have magnificent crowns. They come in many colors and their tentacles are used for respiration and for feeding on passing suspended particles. Much of the worm is anchored in its burrow, a hole bored into a live calcareous coral.