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Proboscis Worms or Ribbon Worms
Fun Facts:
Can be longer than a blue whale, making them the world's longest animal!
Scientists are studying Nemertea's toxins for potential medical treatments to conditions such as Alzheimers or schizophrenia.
Ribbon worms swallow their prey whole and eat prey almost as big as they are. Sometimes they digest their prey outside their body.
Ribbon worms are poisonous and taste bad to discourage predators from eating them. The poisons are in a mucus it produces from its skin.
Key Characteristics:
Feeding: have a proboscis, long organ near their mouth, that can be pushed out of the body and pulled back in. This is used to catch prey by and can be sticky, have a sharp dagger-part and be toxic.
Regeneration: if damaged, they can regrow lost body parts or can form new works from pieces of the original worm. They can even split in response to stress.
Reproduction: male and female ribbon worms looked different, sexual dimorphism, and generally reproduce sexually.
Complete Digestive Tract: have a mouth and anus.
Symmetry: bilateral
Categories of Nemertea
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Palaeonemertea
Pilidiophora
Hoplonemertea
Ribbon Worms Explained!
Ribbon Worms Explained!
Ribbon Worms have Bilateral Symmetry
Ribbon Worms have Bilateral Symmetry
Body plan can be divided straight down the middle into two halves, with a matching right and left half.
Ribbon Worm Proboscis
Ribbon Worm Proboscis
Ribbon worms use their proboscis to feed. they extend it ooutside of their body to immobilize prey.
Simple Ribbon Worm Body Plan
Simple Ribbon Worm Body Plan
Smithsonian Ribbon Worm Research
Smithsonian Ribbon Worm Research
Distribution of Nemertea Worldwide
Distribution of Nemertea Worldwide
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