The velvet worm is no ordinary creepy crawly. Named for its plush, velvety appearance, these caterpillar-like creatures have been around for quite some time … try 500 million years or so! With their unique hunting techniques, odd mating rituals and unusual evolutionary attributes, velvet worms have long since fascinated the scientific world.
But don’t be fooled by the apparently silky exterior of the velvet worm, these decadent fellows are expert hunters. Prowling along the forest floor under the cover of darkness, the velvet worm sniffs out a tasty mollusc or an unfortunate cricket. Once it’s locked in on its target, the stealthy hunter shoots a double stream of adhesive slime that renders its prey immobile, allowing the hungry worm to inject its hapless victim with digestive juices. Then it sucks out the gooey, semi-digested insect innards. Yummy.
The oddities don’t end there though. Velvet worm mating rituals are like something out of a science fiction novel. Although little is known of the exact mating rituals of the Peripatopsis species (the one that lives in South Africa and features in our iPhone video below), it's assumed that it is similar to other members of the genus.
“Once it’s locked in on its target, the stealthy hunter shoots a double stream of adhesive slime that renders its prey immobile”
The male velvet worm, who is much smaller than the female, deposits his sperm in a sac on her skin. Just to make sure the job gets done, she collects several sperm donations, or spermatophores, from multiple suitors before absorbing the little love parcels and, 12 or 13 months later, she gives birth to about 40 mini-worms. This process does vary a little depending on the species. It might sound weird, but it’s kept the velvet worm going for millions of years, so maybe we should be taking our reproductive tips from them.
The Earth Touch crew recently got up close and personal with one of these unique carnivores. The short film below was shot entirely on an iPhone 4S as part of our iPhone film series.
WTF!?
WTF!?
How it works
