Glue-Spitting Velvet Worms and Frog-Eating Beetles: Discover 5 Crawling Horrors
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Bug-like monsters are a staple of sci-fi and horror fiction - but nature has produced some equally disturbing beasts. Let's take a look at...
The Ravenous Hammerhead Worms
The Mantis-Like Water Stick-Insects
The Bear Trap Emulating Bobbit Worms
The Frog-Eating Beetles
The Glue-Spitting Velvet Worms
Ranatra snorkel beneath the surface, catching prey like a mantis! (zoosnow)
The Ravenous Hammerhead WormsWorms probably don't spring to mind when you think of ferocious predators, but the hammerhead is a disturbingly deadly hunter.
This flatworm takes its name from a hammer-shaped head that mounts a wide array of sensory organs to detect prey - namely, other worms. On finding a victim, the hammerhead will pin it to the ground and open a mouth located halfway down its body. The back of the mouth then extends forward, surrounding the victim in a sheet of flesh while coating them in mucus and digestive enzymes - this renders the target down into a nutrient slurry that the hammerhead consumes. Some species of hammerhead carry tetrodotoxin to subdue any prey that puts up a struggle.
Hammerhead worms are highly regenerative and can recover from being chopped into pieces. Bipalium kewense can reproduce using "fragmentation" - a section at the end of the worm breaks off and is left behind, developing a new head over a couple of weeks. They can also consume their own internal organs for sustenance if starving, regenerating them when food is more plentiful. The hammerhead does have one weakness - immersion in soapy water can finish them off!
The Mantis-Like Water Stick-Insects
Unlike their land-bound and herbivorous namesake, the Ranatra are mantis-like aquatic predators. They lurk beneath slow moving or stagnant water, using their long hollow tail as a snorkel and siphoning air from the surface. They wait patiently for small insects, fish or tadpoles to get close and then lash out with a pair of long legs. Grabbed prey is positioned in front of the mouthparts - these take the form of a sharp tube that delivers venom to the victim, sedating them and digesting them from within.
Thanks to the siphon, these animals can spend extended periods of time concealed beneath the surface while waiting for a victim to come close. If the hunting is poor, they can fly to greener pastures since they have a set of functional wings!
The Bear Trap Emulating Bobbit Worms
An aquatic creature that seems like it should be from the Alien films, the bobbit worm buries itself in sandy sediment that leaves five antennae and a set of vicious jaws exposed. If an unfortunate fish gets too close, the worm springs into action, scything those jaws shut in a matter of milliseconds. The force of the bite has been known to tear smaller victims in half and can cause a nasty wound on a human diver! Groups of fish have been known to mob the worms, blowing away their cover with jets of water and forcing the ambush-loving bobbit to retreat.
These marine worms can reach over a meter in length and may become unwelcome guests in aquariums by stowing away with new arrivals. This was the case with "Barry" the bobbit worm that established itself in Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, boring his way through a display of coral!
It's never good when lunch fights back... (NoName_13)
The Frog-Eating BeetlesFrogs are ravenous predators of insects, so it is only fair that some have learned how to turn the tables. The Epomis beetlesEpomis circumscriptus and Epomis dejeani specialize in killing amphibians, possibly having evolved the behavior out of defensive tactics used against their erstwhile predators.
The grubs use themselves as bait, seeming like a large and juicy meal for a hungry amphibian. As the sticky tongue flicks towards them, the grub dodges and strikes, slamming hooked jaws into the flesh of their would-be predator. Then, they begin eating them alive. The grubs are highly skilled predators, almost always succeeding in their ploy. On one occasion, researchers observed a failed attempt in which the grub ended up being swallowed by a toad, only to be regurgitated unharmed two hours later. It subsequently killed and ate the amphibian!
The adults take a more direct approach, springing onto the back of an unlucky victim like a rodeo jockey and paralyzing them with a muscle-severing bite. Without the ability to hop away, the amphibian can be eaten alive.
The Glue-Spitting Velvet Worms
Neither worm nor slug nor caterpillar, velvet worms are in a class of their own. They take their name from their velvety (and often colorful) appearance, caused by a coating of tiny scales that repel water and keep the animals dry in damp habitats. Velvet worms are actually a living fossil - they seem to have changed very little in over 300 million years, and some researchers believe they may be a missing link between the annelids (segmented worms) and arthropods (insects and spiders.)
These strange creatures have as many as 43 sets of legs, each tipped with a tiny claw that can be used to grip and aid traversal of uneven surfaces. They also have a modified set of legs near their head known as "oral papillae", which are used to spray a rapid-setting organic glue at predators or prey. If the glue entangles a victim, the velvet worm can bite off chunks of flesh or dribble digestive fluids on them to make a soup. Some species are also surprisingly social, living in groups of around 15 individuals that can coat most threats in glue!
