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Nature Is your friend until you touch this

Ribbon worms

By Joan BegePublished 2 months ago 4 min read
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Nature Is your friend until you touch this
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

Sure some people say interacting with animals is good for our health I'm sorry to break it to you but it really doesn't apply to All Creatures just to be sure you're safe let's take a look at some you should steer clear of especially their kisses not that you'd like touching worms anytime soon but do stay away from ribbon worms they're easy to spot because these long thin creatures are often brightly colored you'll see some of them in oceans while other species can also live on land ribbon worms have a unique feature called a proboscis which is a long thin tube that they use to capture and eat their prey they're often very flexible and can stretch out to catch their food or wrap around objects some ribbon worms are also venomous often sneaking harmful substances into their prey more so they can also secrete a slime that can be irritating to the skin let's let also look at the cone snail for a bit this one lives in the ocean usually in warm and shallow Waters near coral reefs it can be found in many different colors and patterns and uses its long pointed shell to hide and protect itself it also has a long pointed tongue which can be quite dangerous it's called a radula and the snail uses it to catch its prey inside its tongue there are tiny sharp teeth when the cone snail sees a fish or other small animal it shoots out its tongue and injects its harpoons into its prey these harpoons are covered in venom which can make the prey very sick the Venom can also be harmful to humans so it's important to be careful around cone snails humans and lamp pre have had quite a complicated relationship over the years in case you haven't heard of them they are eel-like fish that are known for this unusual feature tube-shaped mouths with scary teeth they are parasites that attach themselves to other fish and feed on their blood and tissues you'll find them in both fresh and saltwater despite the terrifying way they look people have eaten them for a long time some rich and powerful people in the past like kings and Emperors enjoyed having them for dinner as a delicacy there's even a story about a king who ate so many lamp rays that he eventually kicked the proverbial bucket tasty as they may seem for some they are quite dangerous they can cause trouble for people because they can attach themselves to the skin and use their sharp teeth to feed on their hosts Blood and Tissue this is what earned it the nickname vampire fish lamp Rays can cause severe damage to their host because of things like infection or loss of blood more so the wounds they cause can be difficult to heal and may leave scarring lampas may not be your dream fish but they do look like beauty pageant contestants next to the hagfish a hag fish is also a slimy eel-like fish that lives in the ocean it has a long slippery body and no scales instead it has a layer of slime that it can release to protect itself from predators or to help it move through the water hagfish are scavengers and will eat expired animals that they find in the ocean thankfully they're not known to attack or harm humans but you should steer clear of these PES mouths of theirs that's because they can carry a lot of harmful bacteria seeing as they don't eat from the Fresh Produce is if you know what I mean they can be a problem for divers or fishermen because they can give off a slime that can clog fishing nets and make the water difficult to see in because they often Feast themselves from the ocean's trash cans they can smell pretty bad too a fish that's dubbed the cookie cutter shark might seem cute when you first hear about them them but these creatures can be quite dangerous they are small fish that got their name because of the unique way they eat food these creatures feature a small circular-shaped mouth that comes with a terrifying set of teeth they allow the shark to cut out round pieces directly from their prey just like a cookie cutter leaves an imprint on a piece of dough you'll find them in tropical waters around the world and what's even more dangerous is that they often swim near the surface of the water so people are more likely to get into contact with these fish when surfing or swimming ever heard of a trash Panda well if you haven't heard of it before this is actually a nickname for the naughty raccoon there small furry animals with Black and White markings on their face and bushy tail these quirky creatures are famous for their mischievous Behavior like raing trash cans for food they're often found near forests and are more active at nighttime despite their innocent looks raccoons can be dangerous if they lick you that's because their saliva can contain harmful bacteria or diseases it's best to avoid contact with raccoons and to seek help if you've been licked by one just in case the odds of you ever encountering the Oaken salamander are pretty slim but did you know its tongue is dangerous weirdly enough it's because of its speed this type of salamander is found in the ohaka region of Mexico it also features a dark brown or black body and bright orange or yellow markings on its arms legs and tail this creature spends most of its time in the trees where it feeds on insects it's nocturnal and when threatened it can release a nasty substance from its skin to protect itself from predators however a new study has found that this giant Palm salamander has the most powerful muscle in the animal Kingdom it.

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