Editing Ice worm (section)

== Description ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}

The specific name ''solifugus'' for the North American species, ''[[Mesenchytraeus solifugus]]'', is Latin for "sun-avoiding," as ice worms retreat underneath the ice before dawn. [[Enzymes]] in ice worms have very low optimal temperatures, and can be denatured at even a few degrees above {{convert|0|C|F}}. When ice worms are exposed to temperatures as modest as {{convert|5|C|F}}, their membrane structures disassociate and fall apart (i.e., "melt") causing the worm itself to "liquefy." Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white. They come to the surface of the glaciers in the evening and morning. On [[Suiattle Glacier]] in the [[North Cascades]], population counts indicated over 7 billion ice worms.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

It is not known how ice worms tunnel through the ice. Some scientists believe they travel through microscopic fissures in ice sheets, while others believe they secrete some chemical which can melt ice by lowering its freezing point, like an [[antifreeze]]. They feed on [[snow algae]].<ref name="nichols"/>