The fastest snail in hunting

2005/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia

During hunting, conical sea snail punctures toxins, usually fish. This puncture occurs more than 300 milliseconds, researchers at Stanford University in California have seen.

They have seen it because they have recorded the attack of this snail with a fast speed camera, the snail of the species Conus Catus. The researchers were surprised how the snail, which seems so slow, hunts prey much faster than him. And so they decided to record that moment.

During the recording they saw that the probóscide is stretched and at full speed takes out a harpoon-shaped tooth that punctures inside the probósside. With this knife puts poison to the prey and is ready for the mouth.