What are Velvet Worms?

Worms are bizzare creatures living in leaf litters on the floors of tropical forests. They are superficially similar to caterpillars and are called "worms with legs", but they are their own phylum, onychophora, which means "claws". This is a reference to small chitin claws on their stump legs. Growth to 0.5 and 50 cm (0.2 - 12.5 inches), with an average length of 5 cm (2 inches) velvet worms are segmented animals with 13 and 43 pairs of legs. They share similarities to the two arthropods (like spiders) and Annelids (as earthworms), but are considered more related to arthropods, although for many decades it has been assumed that they are more related to the annelids. More precisely, they relate to the worms of nematodes and horse worms. When she took the first animals to the ground. For most history, Velvet Worms lived across the country, not only in tropical areas. Fossils reminiscent of velvet worms, called lobopods, were found in the Cambrian layers, up to 540 million years ago, proving that the line is very old. First formA, Halucigenia , is one of the most fascinating organisms in the famous formation of the burgher's slate. Unlike modern velvet worms, hallucingenia was covered with long spikes.

Velvet Worms are carnivores with an unusual way of eating. They are looking for prey (small insects) with their antennas and then bent it with streams of adhesive substances similar to a substance released from the hoses on the head. These streams are crossed, like a lasso around the victim. With a single attack, a large velvet worm can use adhesive adhesive to capture their victim. Velvet Worm has a waterproof body meimal to the effects of the adhesive, so as soon as the target is captured, it simply rises and injects the digestive juice and melts the dissolved victim. The adhesive also has a toxic effect that slows the prey.

Because of their ancient front, the appearance of Bizzare and unusual eating habits, Velvet Worms have proved to be popular exotic pets.