How the Cone Snail Devours Prey

Last week I blogged about the unique properties of cone snail venom. Now take a took at that venom put to use:

I wish I could slow it down enough to see the moment where the snail impales the fish with the venom barb, but its too quick.

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Well, I suppose that blows that whole "moving at a snail's pace" thing out of the water. That's pretty slick, though.

If you are really interested in this stuff, you should see if your department might be interested in inviting Baldomero ("Toto") Oilvera, the guru of cone snail venom, to give a seminar. He is a great speaker and a truly nice guy.

By PhysioProf (not verified) on 24 Aug 2007 #permalink

I'd love to see that in super-slow motion, with a digital clock running, so we could see for ourselves the harpoon speed and the venom speed.

Or, perhaps, invite the "The Great Kohnus" himself, Alan J. Kohn, prof emeritus of the U. Washington, upon whose research all of this is based. He is also a good speaker, and genuinely nice guy.