Meet The Worm That Hunts With A Slime Cannon — A Biologist Explains

Researchers explained how velvet worms use head-mounted oral papillae to shoot protein-rich slime at prey.

The slime rapidly turns into elastic adhesive threads in midair, forming a net that immobilizes insects and other small animals.

The mechanism relies on nanoglobules and other biological structures, creating strong fibers without heat or chemicals.

Published in Nature Communications and Integrative and Comparative Biology, the study sheds light on predator evolution and biomaterials design.