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Posted By: elbert The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 02:48 PM
These creatures are actually in their own phylum and are not related to anything else. They look like a slug with legs but have the skin texture of a soft caterpillar. They like to live in rainforests in dark humid places, but the most amazing thing about them is that they hunt unlike any other predator. They are extremely slow moving but like to eat small invertebrates, so the way they hunt is they actually shoot sticky goo which their prey becomes entangled in. The goo hardens within seconds and the prey is stuck there. It's like Spiderman! Then the velvet worm can take its sweet time crawling over and injects its prey with toxic saliva that liquifies the prey's insides. the velvet worm then sucks it out.

Heres a video that shows it in action!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVb9yUOek88
would want to give away the ending of a drama but he gets him in the end.



Posted By: elbert Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 03:16 PM
he totally licked his lips before diving on that beetle!!!!!!!!
Posted By: NYgal Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 03:21 PM
I couldn't look at it since I think you said phlegm - that's a hard one for me to handle LOL smile

Oh, maybe I will peek wink

Posted By: NYgal Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 03:23 PM
I peeked.... pretty good after all smile
Thanks for sharing smile
Posted By: elbert Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 03:24 PM
phlegm ...:-) its a category not the yuck
a phylum plural phyla) is a taxonomic rank at the level below Kingdom and above Class.
Big :-)
Posted By: NYgal Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 03:31 PM
Whew.... thanks smile
Posted By: azbob Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 07/16/08 11:10 PM
A what????????
There you go again, Elbert, making me learn!
Posted By: seashell Re: The Velvet Worm of Belize - 08/13/08 12:54 AM
Geez, did any of you go and look at the video of the worms in the face?? Ew . . .
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