No one ever wants to kiss a whelk.
Christian Gautier
Mary’s Monday Metazoan: A conveyer belt with teeth
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
No one ever wants to kiss a whelk.
Christian Gautier
They are quite tasty, however. But eating them is a bit different.
Um, maybe another whelk.
Though I can think of a few people who should.
Gastropods are one of those groups of animals you’re tempted to see as goofy and harmless, until you remember they have chainsaws for tongues.
Cats have tongues that are sandpaper-like, rather that chain-sawish. Evolution is presumably working on it.
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In regard to digestion: “Cannibal cells may limit cancer growth” https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-cannibal-cells-limit-cancer-growth.html
If dividing cells are vulnerable to cell cannibalism, it might help to explain why whales do not get overwhelmed by cancer, despite their enormous body mass and its many mutated cells.
Being full of Pac-man cells, going after dividing cells?
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My favourite form of feeding: Inject digestive juices into the prey, then drink the resulting soup from its exoskeleton.
No tongues!
Certainly not afterwards.