Dart Den

Full Version: Nemertean Hunting Behavior
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
I posted this elsewhere but I thought it was a cool experience... I couldn't find a place on this board where I thought it would be relevant so I am posting it here in the lounge... Mods, feel free to move it to a more suitable location Smile

Has anyone ever watched how nemerteans hunt? I was fortunate enough to watch this happening this weekend... If only I had a video camera on me at the time...

So there I was, doing my usual observation of the feeding behaviors of my frogs...

I was looking into my standard intermedius tank trying to locate all of them and watch them each devour a few tasty fruit flies...

During my observation, I noticed a decent sized nemertean (approximately 3/4 inch) climbing the stem of a begonia like a python would a tree... I also noticed a fruit fly wiping off the supplements that he had bathed in just moments before so my attention was now averted to him...

All of a sudden, the nemertean thrusts it's "harpoon" at the fly with deadly accuracy, snaring it... It then proceeded to the other side of the begonia stem, out of sight...

Has anyone else ever witnessed anything like this? I knew nemerteans were capable of wiping out springtail and other microfauna populations; but I had no idea they were capable of taking down a fruit fly...

-Christian
moved this to the "General Forum".

Thanks for posting this...Are there youtube videos on this- probably. I love horror films, but this may hit a little too close to home / real life.

Carl Pilkington - "Worms with teeth"
I'm going to probably end up setting up a nemertean tank in a jar and put all the nemerteans that I can find in there and add some flies and video record it Smile

Thanks for relocating this thread to its proper resting place Smile

-Christian