The geographic cone snail can send whole schools of fish
into hypoglycaemic shock by releasing insulin into the water.
A tropical sea snail uses a potent form of insulin to subdue
its fish prey, scientists have discovered.
The geographic cone snail (Conus geographus) uses the
chemical to cause a plunge in the fish’s blood sugar, leaving it sluggish and
unable to escape. The snail can entrap whole schools of small fish in this way.
C. geographus is one of the most venomous creatures on
Earth, and is known to have killed dozens of people in accidental encounters.
It hunts in two ways: by releasing toxins into the water and
by firing a harpoon-like, poison-tipped tooth into its prey. No antidote exists
for a cone snail sting, which contains a mixture of nerve agents.
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