第 1284 號，共 1 402 號

Bootlace worm

Lineus longissimus

無害對人無害。不用擔心。

皮膚裡有毒吃：肉有毒（碰或吃會中毒），不是有毒液

The bootlace worm is a ribbon worm that can be one of the longest animals known, with typical specimens measuring 5 to 15 metres. It lives along the coasts of northern Europe, including Britain, Norway and Denmark. Its thick, toxic mucus is its main defence.1

有毒還是有毒液？有毒液的動物會用咬或螫把毒液注入身體。有毒的動物則是碰到或吃下去會有害。這種動物是有毒的（碰或吃會中毒）。

分布在

Coasts of Europe, from Iceland to the Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic, including Britain, Norway, Denmark and Sweden1

大西洋, 地中海, 北極海, 北海

首頁

It lives along coasts in the north-east Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic. It is the most common ribbon worm found along the coasts of Britain.1

長度

5 m 到 30 m (16 ft 到 98 ft)1

最高速度

大約 0,3 km/h（0,19 mph）

游泳, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It feeds on prey by pushing out its proboscis, a tube-like feeding organ. It has a cluster of sticky filaments at the end of the proboscis that it uses to immobilise its prey.1

Bootlace worm 的照片 — Bootlace worm。照片：Citron, retouched by Habitator terrae This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. The origina。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

The body is brown with lighter stripes running along its length.1
It is usually only 5 to 10 millimetres wide, but it can grow very long.1
When handled, it produces large amounts of thick mucus with a faint, pungent smell, like iron or sewage.1

毒素力量

皮膚裡有毒

牠的皮膚有毒。碰、舔或吃牠都很危險。

牠的毒素有什麼作用？

The bootlace worm does not bite or sting, so it is poisonous rather than venomous. Its mucus contains a relatively strong neurotoxin, which attacks the nerves. The mucus is highly toxic, but tests showed low toxicity in human cells.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

No human injuries or deaths from this worm are known. Its mucus is highly toxic, so it is best not to touch it.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When handled, it releases large amounts of thick, toxic mucus, which it uses to deter predators.1

如果有人碰了或吃了牠

把傷口泡在熱水裡，水溫要在傷者能忍受、又不會燙傷的範圍內，並就醫請醫生取出棘刺。不要自己挖出來。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果你碰了或吃了牠：不要揉眼睛或摸嘴巴，把手洗乾淨，並且就醫。

牠不是想來抓你。牠的毒只是為了不讓別的動物吃掉牠。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲大西洋北極海地中海北海

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 7 台汽車排成一排一樣長

Bootlace worm 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻花園蝸牛 大約 0,05 km/h (0,03 mph)

Bootlace worm 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

一個正在游泳的人 大約 3 km/h (1,9 mph)

值得知道

小知識

In 1864, a specimen more than 55 metres long washed ashore after a severe storm near St Andrews, Scotland. It was longer than the lion's mane jellyfish.1

The bootlace worm is one of the longest known animals, and individuals have been recorded at up to 30 metres.1

Its mucus kills crabs and cockroaches in tests, and it could be used as an agricultural insecticide.1

Its body is very flexible and can stretch far beyond its usual length.1

破解迷思

迷思： The bootlace worm regularly grows to over 55 metres long.

真相： Reports of worms over 55 metres may be animals that were stretched. Ribbon worm bodies are flexible, so measurements should be treated with caution. Individuals are known to reach up to 30 metres.1