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Toxic Snail Puts Fish in a Sugar Coma, Then Eats Them

1/20/2015

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Imagen
Credit: Jason Biggs and Baldomero Olivera
Two species of cone snail, Conus geographus (left) and Conus tulipa (right) attempting to capture their fish prey. As they approach potential prey, the snails release a specialized insulin into the water, along with neurotoxins that inhibit sensory circuits, resulting in hypoglycemic, sensory-deprived fish that are easier to engulf with their large, distensible false mouths. Once engulfed, powerful paralytic toxins are injected by the snail into each fish.


Cone snails are abundant in most tropical marine waters, especially around coral reefs. Each species makes a distinct repertoire of venom compounds, mixtures that have evolved to target particular prey. 

Source: phys.org

Dos especies de caracol cono, Conus geographus (izquierda) y Conus tulipa (derecha) intentando capturar a sus presas. Al acercarse a la presa potencial, los caracoles liberan una insulina especializado en el agua, junto con las neurotoxinas que inhiben los circuitos sensoriales, lo que resulta en un ataque hipoglucémico, inhibiendo sus sentidos y así siendo más fáciles de envolver con sus grandes y distendibles bocas falsas. Una vez envuelto, potentes toxinas paralizantes son inyectados por el caracol en cada pez.

Los caracoles cono son abundantes en la mayoría de las aguas marinas tropicales, especialmente alrededor de los arrecifes de coral. Cada especie tiene un repertorio distinto de los componen veneno

Fuente: phys.org
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