Venom Delivery

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=115 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03500730ezvthe.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#CCFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The wonders of the weeverfish ( T.vipera )</B></FONT><B>|   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wonders of the Weeverfish (Trachinus vip"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Venom Delivery</B>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membrane"><U>Membrane</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trachinidae Family"><U>Trachinidae  Family</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questionnaire"><U>Questionnaire</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Reviews"><U>Site Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wonders_of_the_weeverfish_trachinus_vipera_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND PROJECT "><U><B>   ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND PROJECT  </B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="036c3212ezvthe.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DISCUSSION"><U>DISCUSSION</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Medical Treatment"><U><IMG SRC="10570460.jpg" border=0 width="112" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Author."><U>Contact Author.</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WEBLINKS HOME"><U> <img src="HTMLobj-1468/aniGif.gif" alt="Weblink Link" border="0" align="bottom" width="100" height="30">  </U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Venom Delivery</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="103f1750.jpg" border=0 width="497" height="373" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The action between the two muscles attached to the opercular spine, working antagonistically to each other raises the spine away from the side of the fish body. At the same time the outer membrane surrounding the spine is pulled down exposing more of the spine tip. This action increases the chances of the spine inflicting a wound on a predator species.</div> <bR> <div> By flaring out the opercular spine the Weeverfish fish can make itself seem wider and therefore increasing its size. This has the added benefit of deterring attack by predator species which are two small to fit the Weeverfish in their mouth. As most predators consume their prey whole.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="346e6910.jpg" border=0 width="486" height="657" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The weever exposing the spine in this way increases the chance of puncturing the mouth region of a predator causing the predator to spit out the fish, or by causing damage to the predator on this occasion so that it doesn't attack other Weeverfish individuals in the future. Although the individual concerned does not survive the prey species remembers the experience and does not attack other individuals in the future and therefore protects the species as a whole.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SITE INDEX"><U><B><IMG SRC="5bd78b70.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="183" ALT="Index Page To Site Link" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>