How Snapping shrimps catch their prey?



Snapping shrimps are also known as pistol shrimps. They have a deadly weapon to catch their prey. According to the BBC, their enlarged claw can emit a shock wave that stuns the prey. This is how it works: [a] They shut their “super claw” in a rapid action. [b] A jet of water shoots out. [c] This action creates a bubble. [d] The bubble implodes. [e] A flash of light is emitted, which has been described as “shrimpoluminescence”. [f] This luminescence is indication of the extreme pressure and temperature reached inside the bubble at the point of collapse. [g] If you hear the sound of snapping from a shrimp, you can be sure it is from this bubble blast collapsing.



 



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How Glow-worms catch their prey?



Glow-worms (they are larvae) live in dark and damp environments where they can make use of their bioluminescent body to catch food. In large clusters, the glow-worms present a beautiful sight – as in the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand – but for a flying insect, bioluminescent glow-worm larvae are deadly. Insects fly towards the blue light of the glow-worm larvae, but become stuck in the sticky hanging threads woven by the creatures to ensnare prey. Once an insect is stuck, the glow-worms draw up the hanging line and suck their prey dry. The larvae stage is the only time the Arachnocampa luminosa eats, because the adult gnats don’t have mouths. Larvae occasionally turn cannibalistic, and eat the adult gnats trapped in their sticky snare. Glow-worms live for about nine months.



 



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How Velvet worms catch their prey?



Velvet worms are called Onychophora, meaning “claw-bearers”. They are caterpillar-like creatures and wear a coat of delicate scales which gives them their velvety appearance.



Velvet worms are found in forests around the southern hemisphere and the equator. They are closely related to arthropods (the phylum that includes spiders, crustaceans and insects).



Velvet worms trap their prey by squirting a sticky slime secretion from up to 30 cm away. The secretion is made in glands on either side of their gut. The worms then eat the immobilized prey, softening it with their digestive saliva.



 



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How frog-fishers catch their prey?



Frog-fishers are bizarre-looking creatures. They hook their prey with an extended part of their own body that acts as bait. The strange extension of their body, known as lure, resembles a small group of dangling worms, which can regenerate if bitten off. When the fish spots its victim, it begins wiggling its lure. The unsuspecting victim, taking the lure for a meal, comes close to the mouth of the fish. Once the prey – usually a crustacean or fish – is within range, it stands little chance of survival. The frog-fish sucks in its live meal by opening its huge mouth and pulling in the prey in milliseconds. In fact, the fish has possibly the quickest movement in the world. For additional help, the fish has camouflage pattern and fin-feet to move on the sea floor. With all these “weapons”, the frog-fish can be seen as the most formidable predator.



 



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How the bolas spider catch it prey?



The bolas spider constructs an ingenious “bolas”. A bolas is a type of ancient south-American throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords. It was used to capture animals by entangling their legs. The bolas spider spins its bolas with a sticky glob of silk at the end of another silken thread. At night, it holds its weapon with one of its legs, ready to fling. Female bolas spiders use a different trick. They mimic the chemical signal of a female moth, and lure male moth suitors. When the predator senses the wing vibrations of an approaching moth, it produces a bolas, and throws its “lasso” to capture its meal.



 



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How the Margay cat catch it prey?



The beautifully-marked margay is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. It lives in primary, deciduous evergreen forest and hunts alone at night. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for their skin, which resulted in their population decreasing drastically. Margay reportedly uses an incredible mimicry tactic to attract prey in the Amazon jungle. Because the cat is so elusive, scientists have not been able to photograph the creature snaring its prey. So far, what scientists know comes from the stories told by locals. A group of researchers working in Brazil reported that a margay (Leopardus wiedii) makes calls to resemble the sound of a pied tamarind (monkey) baby. The margay would pounce on the parents when they come down looking for the baby.



 



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How Net-casting spiders catch their prey?



Net-casting spiders have long legs and large eyes. They use their silk to weave a stamp-sized net, with which they enclose victims with a lightning-quick movement. The spider sets its trap meticulously: first it leaves white-faeces on the ground as target points. Then with its net held between its front legs; it hangs on a thread, lying in wait. When an unsuspecting creature crosses its trap, the spider stretches its net quickly and traps the victim. It then bits the trapped prey and wraps it up ready to eat. The spiders’ huge eyes help them to see well in low light, and have earned them the alternative name “ogre-faced spiders”.



 



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