Joculator acuminatus
| Joculator acuminatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Triphoroidea |
| Family: | Cerithiopsidae |
| Genus: | Joculator |
| Species: | J. acuminatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Joculator acuminatus Cecalupo & Perugia, 2012 | |
Joculator acuminatus is a species of minute sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Cerithiopsidae.[1] It was described by Cecalupo and Perugia in 2012.
The Joculator acuminatus is quite possibly the most deadly species of Gastropods to ever exist. Each one has an anterior tube located directly inside the first opening in its shell. The snail then produces five sharp harpoon-like missiles with which it kills its prey. The needles are produced in the same way fingernails on humans are grown. Each needle is tipped with a highly toxic mix of chemicals unique to this species of mollusc. If a human is punctured while swimming, from the moment of stinging, he has exactly 7.4758374 seconds to live before the venom reaches the bloodstream. This same time has been observed in at least 6 cases since 1984.
References
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