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Index of Subjects --Boundary_(ID_rGYRzcWHRG5lvYZ9uM2D9w) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT At 04:49 PM 12/5/2008, Peter Payzant wrote: >Here's a question that has bubbled up in my mind from time to time: My mind is full of bubbles, too, Peter. (and a great subject to come in at the dinner hour...) >Everyone knows that spiders use their chelicerae (fangs) to capture >their prey, and to inject a venom that immobilizes the prey. >However, how do they feed? Do they feed through the chelicerae, or >do they have a separate mouth opening? If the latter, how do they >break through the tough shell of their prey in order to feed? >Inquiring minds want to know. The venom includes acids that "dissolve" the corpus of the prey and the spider sucks it up as a liquid slurry (which explains the dried "skins" (exoskeletons) of their prey you can often find beneath their webs). A good book on the subject (if you can find it -- I believe it may be out of print) is Foelix's "Biology of Spiders." Phil -- Dr. Phil Schappert 27 Clovis Ave. Halifax, NS Canada, B3P 1J3 Home: 902-404-5679 Cell: 902-460-8343 www.philschappert.com www.aworldforbutterflies.com "Just let imagination lead, reality will follow through..." Michael Hedges --Boundary_(ID_rGYRzcWHRG5lvYZ9uM2D9w) Content-type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT <html> <body> At 04:49 PM 12/5/2008, <font size=2>Peter Payzant</font> wrote:<br> <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=2>Here's a question that has bubbled up in my mind from time to time: </font></blockquote><br> My mind is full of bubbles, too, Peter. (and a great subject to come in at the dinner hour...)<br><br> <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=2>Everyone knows that spiders use their chelicerae (fangs) to capture their prey, and to inject a venom that immobilizes the prey. However, how do they feed? Do they feed through the chelicerae, or do they have a separate mouth opening? If the latter, how do they break through the tough shell of their prey in order to feed?<br> Inquiring minds want to know.</font></blockquote><br> The venom includes acids that "dissolve" the corpus of the prey and the spider sucks it up as a liquid slurry (which explains the dried "skins" (exoskeletons) of their prey you can often find beneath their webs). A good book on the subject (if you can find it -- I believe it may be out of print) is Foelix's "Biology of Spiders."<br><br> Phil<br> </body> <br> <body> <font face="Courier, Courier">--<br><br> Dr. Phil Schappert<br><br> 27 Clovis Ave.<br> Halifax, NS Canada, B3P 1J3<br> Home: 902-404-5679<br> Cell: 902-460-8343<br><br> <a href="http://www.philschappert.com/" eudora="autourl"> www.philschappert.com<br> </a><a href="http://www.aworldforbutterflies.com/" eudora="autourl"> www.aworldforbutterflies.com<br><br> </a>"Just let imagination lead, reality will follow through..."<br> Michael Hedges</font> </body> </html> --Boundary_(ID_rGYRzcWHRG5lvYZ9uM2D9w)--
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