watch a starfish's tube feet pry open a mussel's shell and extrude its stomach onto the mussel
watch a starfish's tube feet pry open a mussel's shell and extrude its stomach onto the mussel
Starfish preying upon a mussel.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Starfish preying upon a mussel.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flying, perching, and fishing in the Chilkat River valley of southern Alaska.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The pilot black snake (Elaphe obsoleta) suffocates prey such as rats and mice before swallowing them whole.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzWatch a common chameleon stalk and eat its prey.
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Video by Neil Bromhall; music, Musopen String Quartet/Musopen.org (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Time-lapse video of aphids' live birth and predation by hover fly larvae.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the gray seal, and watch as it hunts a cat shark.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the role spiders play as predators in the food chain.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Reaching up to two inches long, these insects are among the largest wasps on Earth.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) among a herd of gazelles. Stalking them slowly at first, the cheetahs break into a sprint, pursuing and capturing one of the gazelles. The spotted hyena is an ever-present and dangerous interloper.
Transcript
NARRATOR: Starfishes prey upon shellfish, coral polyps, and even other starfishes.
This starfish is slowly wrapping its arms around a mussel.
It humps its body over the mussel and attaches its tube feet to the mussel's shells,
pulling and pulling until the mussel weakens.
As the shells separate, the starfish opens its mouth and extrudes its stomach onto the mussel. The prey is partially digested externally.
The stomach is then retracted, and digestion is completed inside the body. The indigestible mussel shell is discarded.
This starfish is slowly wrapping its arms around a mussel.
It humps its body over the mussel and attaches its tube feet to the mussel's shells,
pulling and pulling until the mussel weakens.
As the shells separate, the starfish opens its mouth and extrudes its stomach onto the mussel. The prey is partially digested externally.
The stomach is then retracted, and digestion is completed inside the body. The indigestible mussel shell is discarded.