#velvetworm — Public Fediverse posts

Scientists discover a new #VelvetWorm species in #Ecuador https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-velvet-worm-species-ecuador.html

A #NewSpecies of #VelvetWorms of the genus Oroperipatus (Onychophora, Peripatidae) from western #Amazonia https://zse.pensoft.net/article/117952/

"the velvet worm is generally nocturnal and exhibits parental care, meaning the mother takes care of her young after they are born. These #animals are hunters that use a sticky substance secreted from a pair of anterior glands to trap their prey."

#VelvetWorm shoots #slime that stiffens in mid-air https://www.futurity.org/velvet-worms-slime-2994192-2/

Peculiar #Phosphonate Modifications of #VelvetWorms Slime Revealed by Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Mass Spectrometry https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.3c06798

"The fact that the slime transitions from a liquid to a solid in mid-air is extremely unusual... The forces it experiences when ejected initiate the transition... This solidified slime becomes recyclable, a quality with implications for sustainable materials"

#FinishedReading a fascinating look at #LivingFossils, animals and plants still with us who've maintained their biology since ancient times with few obvious changes. New Zealand features a lot of course, with e.g. #tuatara #totara #rimu #rifleman and of course the wonderfully bizarre #velvetworm of the title.