Ocean Takeout

This post highlights some of the interesting methods that marine animals use to eat their prey.

1) dogwinkle and moon snail - drill a hole in the shell of their prey and suck them out

dogwinkle eating a smooth periwinkle

drill holes in periwinkles

drill hole in a clam eaten by a moon snail

2) common sea star - use their suction cup equipped tube feet to pull open the shells of an animal, such as a scallop and then eject their stomach to digest the animal right in its own shell

sea star eating a large barnacle

sea star engulfing a periwinkle with its stomach

3) lobster - lobsters have a varied diet but after moulting they eat their old shell to regain nutrients

shell pieces that were nibbled on by a moulted lobster

4) wolffish - eats urchins and crabs whole owing to canine-like teeth at the front of the jaw for catching the prey and molar-like teeth in the roof of the mouth to crush the prey

5) baleen whales - having no teeth these whales use baleen plates to sift small food out of the ocean water, such as zooplankton, krill, and herring

6) gulper eel - this deep sea fish can ingest animals much larger than itself using it it pelican-like mouth and expandable stomach

7) barnacles - eats with its feet because its head is stuck to the rock (check out the July video of the month to see barnacles feeding). Also, some species stick to whales, such as humpbacks, for a 'swim-thru' experience.