Nov 23, 2014: Tooth

xoxoxoBruce · 11-23-2014, 12:03 AM

I don't think the Tooth Fairy wants any part of this tooth, it comes from a predatory marine snail, Conus ermineus.

We’re lucky this snail is only 2 to 4 inches long because that tooth works more like a harpoon. The snail has a whole battery of these venomous harpoons in its throat, with one always locked & loaded. When food is detected, usually a small fish, it fires the tooth which injects the prey with a neurotoxin cocktail that paralyzes the prey almost instantly. Then old Ahab just reels in the food and swallows it whole.

This picture came from the Olympus BioScapes 2013 Winners Gallery, and was entered by Dr. Alan Kohn and Dr. Joshua Kubo at the University of Washington.

11-23-2014, 12:03 AM	#1
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Nov 23, 2014: Tooth I don't think the Tooth Fairy wants any part of this tooth, it comes from a predatory marine snail, Conus ermineus. We’re lucky this snail is only 2 to 4 inches long because that tooth works more like a harpoon. The snail has a whole battery of these venomous harpoons in its throat, with one always locked & loaded. When food is detected, usually a small fish, it fires the tooth which injects the prey with a neurotoxin cocktail that paralyzes the prey almost instantly. Then old Ahab just reels in the food and swallows it whole. This picture came from the Olympus BioScapes 2013 Winners Gallery, and was entered by Dr. Alan Kohn and Dr. Joshua Kubo at the University of Washington. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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