The slime is created in the oral papillae and expelled through some special modified limbs like darts from a blowgun.
It can be used as medical glue and is 90% water and 3-5% proteins. CSIRO Entomology scientist Dr Victoria Haritos, who uncovered the worm's secret, says "it's a case of using disorder as a weapon".Dr Haritos is looking for new types of silk and milked an Australian species of velvet worm called euperipatoides rowelli.
She found the silk produced by the worm is not silk at all - it is the exact opposite.
Silk is made up of well ordered, structured proteins. Dr Haritos says the sticky slime produced by the velvet worm is neither structured nor well ordered.
Velvet worms are predators which use their silk to capture prey including insects, spiders and other small invertebrates.
The worm rapidly spits out slime from tubes on either side of its head. This quickly covers its prey and immediately begins to set hard, going very stringy and rope-like.
"It gets harder and harder and very sticky, immobilising the victim," Dr Haritos said.
She says the key ingredient in the slime is water.
She found the silk produced by the worm is not silk at all - it is the exact opposite.
Silk is made up of well ordered, structured proteins. Dr Haritos says the sticky slime produced by the velvet worm is neither structured nor well ordered.
Velvet worms are predators which use their silk to capture prey including insects, spiders and other small invertebrates.
The worm rapidly spits out slime from tubes on either side of its head. This quickly covers its prey and immediately begins to set hard, going very stringy and rope-like.
"It gets harder and harder and very sticky, immobilising the victim," Dr Haritos said.
She says the key ingredient in the slime is water.