Astounding prey hunting, amazing transformation arts and venomous stilettos all feature in our first volume on species that live in the sea.
The two animal groups starworms and slime worms are not very closely related, but they both contain worm-like animals that live in the sea. Sipuncula starworms live on the bottom of the sea, where they like to burrow or settle in old seashells. The body is often peanut-shaped with a long retractable proboscis. At the far end of the proboscis is a small crown of tentacles that resembles a star, hence the name. With the tentacles, the star worm catches food directly from the water or from the bottom material. Slime worms, or nemertines as they may also be called, have an extreme ability to stretch and contract. In fact, the world's longest animal, Lineus longissimus, is found off the Swedish west coast and is a slime worm that can be nearly 50 meters long when fully extended.
Slime worms Nemertea may not have the most appealing name imaginable, but there is an explanation for it. On the body surface there is a foul-smelling and toxic slime, which means that they do not have to hide from predators, but can lie stretched out fully visible on the seabed. The poison is not directly dangerous to humans, but it can numb the skin and cause tingling and swollen fingers. Characteristic of slime worms is the proboscis, which lies in its own cavity in the body, and which is thrown out to capture and hold food. Many slime worms are active hunters that take live prey such as smaller crustaceans and bivalves, and the proboscis may be equipped with stylets that puncture the prey, or sticky structures that hold it.
Product information
Authors: Malin Strand & Per Sundberg
ISBN: 9789188506726
Language: Swedish
Weight: 1065 grams
Series: Nationalnyckeln till Sveriges flora och fauna
Released: 2010-09-28
Publisher: ArtDatabanken SLU
Pages: 188