Puerto Rican velvet worm, Peripatus juanensis, Peripatidae

Photographed in Puerto Rico by wesgapp

yippee!!!!

wahooo!!!

Velvet Worm (Euperipatoides sp.), family Peripatopsidae, QLD, Australia

photograph by Stephen Zozaya

summer's meant more bugs in the open air but i'll always say hi to the worms in the logs

Just a wormy little guy

I didn't know velvet worms could be fat and/or colorful! May I see one?

fat <3

day 24 pink velvet worm

Phylum Round 1

Onychophora: Velvet Worms. This is the only phylum containing exclusively terrestrial members, although their ancestors can be traced back to the Cambrian shallow oceans. Onychophorans are ambush predators, moving with slow smooth steps to creep up on their prey. They have unique mucus glands on either side of their face which can spray jets of sticky slime, which effectively immobilizes their prey. Onychophorans have relatively complex brains, and some even live in social "packs" that live and hunt together. Many species in this phylum are ecologically vulnerable, threatened, or endangered.

Platyhelminthes: Flatworms. This phylum includes both colorful free-living members and more modest parasitic members. Free-living worms can be found in marine, freshwater, and even terrestrial environments. All flatworms are, of course, dorsoventrally flattened so their whole bodies can access oxygen from the outside, as they have no specialized circulatory system. Some flatworms are of interest to research in tissue regeneration, as they have the remarkable ability to completely regenerate a new body from a cut piece. Many classes within Platyhelminthes are exclusively parasitic, including flukes, tapeworms, schistosomes, and others. Most flatworms are hermaphroditic, and some larger marine species practice a ritual known as "penis fencing" to determine which worm's eggs will be fertilized.

Phylum #16: Onychophora, the velvet worms!

"Lobopods", unarmored relatives of arthropods, have a long and rich history. While early forms like Hallucigenia remain unclear as to their affinities, another lineage had already split from the first arthropods. Velvet worms still thrive today, having left the seas for rainforests and humid crevices.

Instead of the arthropods' articulated exoskeletons, velvet worms kept a softer, unarticulated cuticle, with tiny round "papillae" covered in bristles and scales providing their velvet-like appearance. They still moult their cuticle regularily, but do not gain new legs doing so - the babies already look like miniature adults!

Adapted to many terrains thanks to their flexible body and clawed legs, velvet worms are true ambush predators. They come with a special weapon: a glue-like slime, immobilizing prey and repelling predators, shot from appendages on each side of their mouth.

Velvet worms are also intelligent, social creatures. At least one species, Euperipatoides rowelli, is known for hunting together, living in groups of up to 15 individuals with complex interactions establishing their social hierarchy. Individuals within a group are often closely related, with most species giving live birth and taking care of their young!

have a you ever seen what a velvet worm is? If not then I highly suggest you do. Trust me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised

This creature looks so pathetic, I was compelled to draw it.

Velvet worms!

These adorable little creatures are distant cousins of arthropods, but don't have an exoskeleton like them! Instead, their skin has a more velvet feeling, hence their name! They are believed to have existed for more than 500 million years, and...

Yes, they can shoot glue at you if they're angry (or hungry)! They're formidable predators, but also social, living and hunting in groups! Most species are viviparous, with the mothers taking care of their youngs. And they're so colorful and adorable!

Velvet worm, Eoperipatus sp., Peripatidae

Photographed in Singapore by Nicky Bay // Website // Facebook

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

so when velvet worms shoot out slime as a defense mechanism, it’s cool and awesome. but when I do it, i’m “really sensitive” and “cum too fast”

double wourm day yesterday. the mountain abounds with them

Velvet Worm, Oroperipatus sp., Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

photograph by Geoff Gallice