Last updated at 9:26 AM on 5th August 2011
Although it may look like a gruesome monster from the latest sci-fi event movie this is in fact a real creature.
But do not worry - the hydrothermal worm is so tiny it requires a powerful microscope to see it.
The organism, only slightly larger than a bacterium, is one of the smallest living things on Earth and can only be studied by being magnified 525 times.
Sci-fi beast? This tiny being is in fact a hydrothermal worm, so small it can only be seen by magnifying it hundreds of thousands of times
Head up: The head of an Oak Processionary caterpillar as seen through a super-strength microscope
Star-shaped: Spicules from a sponge found in South African waters
It lives in deep sea near hydrothermal vents that spew hot water from beneath the Earth's crust.
The striking image, captured by Phillippe Crassous, is one of a gallery of minute wonders taken using the specialist FEI microscope equipment.
It is possible to achieve 1,000,000 times magnification with a transmission electron microscope.
The apparatus allows researchers a view of the world usually unseen by the naked eye - and some of the results are jaw-dropping.
Lunar landscape? The view of a PES membrane, used to filter liquids during laboratory tests
Sea creature: Another Hydrothermal Worm
Incredible close-up: This image shows the hairs on the body a mosquito larvae
Seahorse? This image in fact shows Nano Forsterite, a synthetic mineral consisting of Mg and Si particles
05 Aug, 2011--
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2021998/Super-strength-microscope-produces-stunning-images.html?ITO=1490
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