Johannesburg: Afric Update – News Desk
A new velvet worm species, Peripatopsis barnardi (also known as Rohan’s velvet worm), was discovered in South Africa’s Karoo region by student Rohan Barnard in 2022 and formally announced in 2025, making it the first recorded species in the area. The discovery, alongside six other new species in the Cape Fold Mountains, suggests the region was historically more forested and highlights the importance of conserving these prehistoric forest fragments. Velvet worms are ancient “living fossils” known for their unique hunting method of squirted slime and no danger to humans. Velvet worms (scientific phylum: Onychophora) are fascinating, rare, and somewhat mysterious animals that look like something between a caterpillar and a worm.
Velvet worms are soft-bodied, elongated animals, usually 0.5–20 cm long. Covered with tiny velvety papillae (giving them a plush, velvety texture). Their bodies are segmented with stubby, unjointed legs called lobopods. The Velvet worm species come in shades of brown, orange, blue, green, or gray. Velvet worms are found mostly in tropical and southern hemisphere regions (Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand). They prefer moist, dark places such as rotting logs, leaf litter, and soil, because their skin dries out easily.
Considered “living fossils”, their lineage is more than 500 million years old. Related to both arthropods (insects, spiders, crabs) and annelids (segmented worms). Their ancient relatives appeared in the Cambrian seas. They are carnivorous predators. Velvet worms hunt small invertebrates like insects, termites, and spiders. They are famous for their slime-shooting ability: They squirt a sticky jet of glue-like slime from oral papillae. The slime hardens quickly, trapping prey. Then they inject saliva to dissolve the prey’s insides and suck it up.
Their body is supported by fluid pressure, not bones. They breathe through tiny openings (tracheae) across their body. Reproduction varies by species, some lay eggs, others give live birth (with or without a placenta-like structure). Theire slime can be reabsorbed and recycled. Their hunting slime is being studied as a model for biodegradable glues. They move with a slow, creeping gait, looking a bit like animated plush toys. They are rare and sensitive to environmental changes, making them important indicators of ecosystem health.
