ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Nereid

Imagine you're playing a game of hide and seek, but instead of friends hiding, we're talking about tiny ocean creatures. One of the creatures is called nereid.

Nereid is a little worm that lives in the sea. This worm has a long body like a snake and feels squishy to the touch. It's called a nereid because it comes from a family of water nymphs in Greek mythology.

Nereids are very interesting creatures because they can live in a lot of different places in the ocean. They like to burrow in the sand, so sometimes they are called "sandworms." They can also live in rocky areas or even attach themselves to things like shells or rocks with tiny feet called parapodia.

These creatures are more than just squishy body and wiggly tails, they help out in our ocean ecosystem in a big way. Nereids are carnivores, which means they hunt and eat other smaller creatures like plankton and tiny fish. By doing this, they help to keep the balance of life in the ocean healthy.

So think about nereids as creatures who love the sea, live in different cool places in the ocean, and eat smaller creatures to keep everything in order. Pretty neat, huh?