This female worm, from the newly designated species Osedax frankpressi, has been dissected in the whale bone. The green tissue is where bacteria are found, and part of it has been torn, exposing the white ovary. A reddish "palp" captures oxygen for the worms and the bacteria.
Some more pic's:
Laboratory photo of one of the newly discovered bone-eating worms, Osedax frankpressi, which has been removed from a whale bone. Normally only the red and white plumes and the pinkish trunk would be visible. The greenish roots and whitish ovary would be hidden inside the bone.
A whale bone covered with O. frankpressi worms being collected by the manipulator arm on MBARI's remotely operated vehicle Tiburon at a depth of almost three kilometers in Monterey Canyon.
Photomontage of the whale fall in Monterey Canyon, as it appeared in February 2002, soon after its discovery. Note the large numbers of red worms carpeting its body. The small pink animals in the foreground are scavenging sea cucumbers.