Who is the prototype of the sandworm in "Dune"? The Mongolian death worm should have a name

The movie "Dune" was released not long ago. Before the movie was released, many fans of the original book were curious about the image of the sandworm, the core species on the planet Arrax in the movie, and were looking forward to how the director would present this species.

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The largest sandworm in the original book is about 400 meters long and controls a territory of three to four hundred square kilometers. "Spice" appears in every area where it appears.

The biggest feature of the sandworm is that it has a huge mouth full of sharp teeth, which will swallow everything around it like an abyss.

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Although the sandworms of the planet Arrax look scary and completely unlike species on Earth, there are worms similar to them in our real world. As for what the prototype of the sandworm is closest to, let's discuss it with you today!

Fierce and fast Bobbitt worm

Bobbitt worms, formally known as "rockworms" (rockworms are a class of animals, several of which are commonly known as Bobbitt worms), are nocturnal animals that can generally reach a length of more than 1 meter or even longer and feed on organic debris.

The mouthparts of the Bobbit worm are very complex, turning from the inside out and ending with an extremely sharp jaw. There are also five tentacles around the mouthparts of the Bobbit worm, which can sensitively detect prey and bite it hard through the muscles in the pharynx, tearing it in half in an instant.

Bobbit worms usually lurk deep in the seabed, with only about 10 centimeters of their heads exposed, waiting for prey to arrive. When prey is scarce, Bobbit worms begin to eat plants such as seaweed to replenish their energy.

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Scientists speculate that the Bobbitt worm injects venom into its prey to help digest it better. In addition, it can attack prey that is much larger than itself, and if someone gets close, they will definitely be bitten hard.

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According to the setting in the original "Dune", sandworms evolved from a creature called "sand trout". Because they devour microorganisms and water all year round to produce "spice", they caused the land of the planet Arrax to become desertified.

Sandworms evolved to adapt to the desert. Judging from this setting alone, Bobbitt worms are actually closer to the "sand trout" in the Dune planet.

The mysterious Mongolian death worm

The Mongolian Death Worm is an extremely mysterious species that is said to haunt the depths of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. This worm exists in many local Mongolian legends, and the worms in many tomb-robbing movies are also based on this worm.

In addition, American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews also mentioned the existence of the Mongolian death worm in "On the Trail of Ancient Man" published in 1926. It wrote: The Mongolian death worm is two feet long and looks like a sausage. It will cause poisoning if it is touched lightly.

According to rumors, the Mongolian Death Worm has a red body, sprays highly corrosive venom and can also release electric currents to attack prey from several feet away.

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This creature has existed in people's rumors for many years, and there are very few records about it. Therefore, many experts and scholars have gone to Mongolia to look for this mysterious creature, but in the end they all returned empty-handed.

If the Mongolian death worm really exists, it is very close to the image of the sandworm in "Dune".

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Real-life sandworms

It is worth mentioning here that in our real world there is also a creature called "sandworm", also called sand intestine, scientific name Sipunculus nudus. This kind of sandworm generally lives at the bottom of the sand along the coast. Because they drill in and out of the sand with the ebb and flow of the tide, they are called sandworms.

This insect has no hair and is long and cylindrical. It has well-developed muscles but a simple body structure. It is about 10-22 cm long and mainly eats gravel.

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Sandworms have extremely high requirements for their living environment. Generally, sandworms cannot survive in polluted areas. Therefore, sandworms are also called "environmental marker organisms". In addition, sandworms also have high nutritional value and are high-protein, low-fat and low-sugar aquatic products. They are often eaten fresh or dried.

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Although the name of the sandworm is the same as the sandworm in "Dune", there is still a big difference between the two. Therefore, the sandworm in our reality is definitely not the prototype of the sandworm in "Dune".

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In fact, there have been many different opinions about the prototype of sandworms.

Bobbit worms and Mongolian death worms are very similar to the sandworms in the "Dune" world to varying degrees, and they are both extremely aggressive, and their ferocity is highly consistent with the sandworms in Dune.

Therefore, we still cannot determine who the prototype of the "sandworm" is, or it is possible that the author referred to more than one prototype when describing the sandworm.

Who do you think is the prototype of the sandworm?

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Review expert: Li Weiyang, well-known science blogger

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor: Xiaoxi Tushuo