Their venom is made up of a mixture called peptide conus. Each of them will have a unique venom formula. More than 50,000 conus peptides have been discovered, they are all neurotoxins and no vertebrate species on our planet possesses this form of venom. Marbled Cone snail possesses an extremely splendid appearance but is considered the most venomous snail species on the planet. They are purely carnivores and predators, feeding mainly on sea worms, small fish, mollusks and even other cone snails. It can release venom at any time in its life, and this species is always ready to wipe out all living things around it. A cone snail, like most snails, moves slowly. However, its attack is extremely quick and powerful. They use a sophisticated detection system to find their prey. Snails eat fish, sea worms or other snails if food sources are scarce. Their secret to hunting doesn’t lie in movement speed, instead they hunt using venom and develop an extremely efficient venom system. Because of their slow movement speed, cone snails often hunt by “holding a tree waiting for a rabbit”, which will lie in the sand at the bottom of the water, only revealing its long tubular mouth and tentacles in the sand. Once it detects prey such as a small fish or something passing by, it will use strong muscle contractions to shoot the tongue connected with the venom gland from its long tubular mouth at lightning speed and “close the gap”. nail” into the body, injecting poison into the prey. This venom will paralyze prey within seconds and die instantly. To prevent their prey from struggling, some species of snails have created a toxin that can reduce pain and anesthetize the prey’s nerves, making the prey feel no pain and slowly die without even realizing it. know. When the prey is fixed and no longer struggling, the conch will withdraw the “hook” (toothed tongue), pulling the paralyzed prey into the mouth. One study estimated that this species alone caused 36 deaths. Divers are afraid to face the Marbled Cone snail. They are very beautiful, just like other normal snail shells, but when hit, they are very fast and even with diving gloves, the snail’s proboscis can still penetrate. A few microliters of the toxin in a snail’s saliva is strong enough to kill at least 10 people. Once the poison enters your system, you may not feel symptoms for several minutes or days. Although the bite is not painful, you may feel numbness or tingling. However, then your whole body may shake, your eyes will go blurry, and your breathing may stop after just a few hours. However, the function of this extremely toxic substance is only for self-defense and to catch prey, but they never actively attack humans. Up to now, about 30 people have died from accidental contact with the marbled cone’s spit. The life of the snail shell collector will end when the sharp hook of this snail pierces the person. The most powerful poison called neurotoxin will temporarily paralyze your nerves. After that, the respiratory organs will close, making it difficult for you to breathe and this can be the worst part. Symptoms of a snail sting include local pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, and vomiting. Symptoms may appear immediately or slowly over several days. In severe cases, muscle paralysis, vision changes and respiratory failure can lead to death. The various neurotoxins contained in cone snails are called cono toxins. In addition to being toxic to humans, in this venom mixture there are many beneficial substances, which can work accurately and quickly on the human nervous system without causing side effects. Therefore, this snail can also open up a new medical future for humans. For example, cono peptides have the potential to prevent spasticity caused by spinal cord injury and may help diagnose and treat small cell lung cancer. Conotoxins can immediately generate nerve signals that reduce heart rate or turn off pain receptors. Ziconotide isolated from it is used as an analgesic. It is said to be 1000 times more effective than morphine and not addictive. Conotoxin ACV1, isolated from Victoria cone cone in Australia, is more effective than morphine and Ziconotide, has a longer analgesic effect and is convenient to use without side effects. It has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of post-operative and neurological conditions, and even accelerates the recovery of nerve damage, and is expected to be developed as a treatment for anxiety. , Parkinson’s disease, muscle tension and hypertension.

This species is extremely toxic, it prefers to hide in coral reefs, rocks and sandy seabeds from intertidal to intertidal zones in southeastern China and tropical seas. Their bodies contain more than 200 pharmacologically active substances and a single drop of venom can kill 20 adults. To date there have been at least 100 recorded deaths from the venom of this species and the actual number could be much higher. The creature we are talking about here is the Cone Snail, also known as the cone snail, is a marine gastropod mollusk, so far more than 70 species have been found along the coast. along the coast of China and there are more than 1,000 species discovered in the world. Their venom is made up of a mixture called peptide conus. Each of them will have a unique venom formula. More than 50,000 conus peptides have been discovered, they are all neurotoxins and no vertebrate species on our planet possesses this form of venom. The Cone Snail has a mostly cone-shaped appearance and the largest can be 23 cm long. They are purely carnivores and predators, feeding mainly on sea worms, small fish, mollusks and even other cone snails. It can release venom at any time in its life, and this species is always ready to wipe out all living things around it. But surely you will find it difficult to understand because in our impression, snails are very slow-moving mollusks, how can they hunt, especially fast-moving species like fish? In fact, the secret to their hunting is not in their movement speed, instead they hunt by using their venom and developing an extremely efficient venom system. All cone snails are masters of poisons, likened to the five poisons in the animal kingdom. They have a tongue pocket in their throat, which contains many hollow toothed tongues, which resemble spearheads and are made of hard chitin. Because of their slow movement speed, cone snails often hunt by “holding a tree and waiting for rabbits”, which will lie in the sand at the bottom of the water, only revealing their long tubular mouth and tentacles in the sand. Once it detects prey such as a small fish or something passing by, it will use strong muscle contractions to shoot the tongue connected with the venom gland from its long tubular mouth at lightning speed and “close the gap”. nail” into the body, injecting poison into the prey. This venom will paralyze prey within seconds and die instantly. To prevent their prey from struggling, some species of snails have created a toxin that can reduce pain and anesthetize the prey’s nerves, making the prey feel no pain and slowly die without even realizing it. know. When the prey is fixed and no longer struggling, the conch will withdraw the “hook” (toothed tongue), pulling the paralyzed prey into the mouth. It’s worth noting that even when it’s not during mealtimes, if it feels threatened, the conch shells will shoot out without hesitation. So if you see brightly colored and beautiful cones on the beach, don’t stress. It came out by accident. Pick it up, especially the larger cone snails. This behavior can kill you because the conch’s nose can pierce the skin, gloves or wetsuit. Especially among cone snails, there is a species called Gastridium geographus, also known as geographical cone snail, killer snail, they are known as one of the most poisonous snails in the world, and one of the most dangerous snails in the world. marine animals that are extremely toxic to humans. One study estimated that this species alone caused 36 deaths. Symptoms of a snail sting include local pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, and vomiting. Symptoms may appear immediately or slowly over several days. In severe cases, muscle paralysis, vision changes and respiratory failure can lead to death. The various neurotoxins contained in cone snails are called cono toxins. In addition to being toxic to humans, in this venom mixture there are many beneficial substances, which can work accurately and quickly on the human nervous system without causing side effects. Therefore, this snail can also open up a new medical future for humans. For example, cono peptides have the potential to prevent spasticity caused by spinal cord injury and may help diagnose and treat small cell lung cancer. Conotoxins can immediately generate nerve signals that reduce heart rate or turn off pain receptors. Ziconotide isolated from it is used as an analgesic. It is said to be 1000 times more effective than morphine and not addictive. Conotoxin ACV1, isolated from Victoria cone cone in Australia, is more effective than morphine and Ziconotide, has a longer analgesic effect and is convenient to use without side effects. It has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of post-operative and neurological conditions, and even accelerates the recovery of nerve damage, and is expected to be developed as a treatment for anxiety. , Parkinson’s disease, muscle tension and hypertension.

After sunset in Jaffna, Anthony Vigrado dived into the waters of Palk Bay to catch sea cucumbers – a prickly skin creature that has grown in value and has been his main source of income for the past 12 years.

But after 10 hours of searching, what he got is a fraction of what he used to be. The reason is that sea cucumbers have been extensively exploited in the northern coasts of Sri Lanka and southern India.

Treasures of the sea

“Illegal fishermen are fishing illegally in the places where we often dive for sea cucumbers. We are losing income and a livelihood for them, ”said the 31-year-old fisherman.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with a soft, tubular body resembling a vegetable of the same name. Photo: Guardian.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with a soft, tubular body resembling a vegetable of the same name. They are an unusual animal but play an important role in the marine ecosystem. When they eat debris in sediments, they regenerate nutrients and excrete nitrogen, ammonia and calcium carbonate – components that make up coral reefs. Sea cucumber also helps slow ocean acidification due to human activity.

The demand for sea cucumbers is huge in China and Southeast Asian countries, where they are processed into delicious dishes and used in traditional remedies. Dried sea cucumber is called calche-de-mer or trepang. They are also considered by many, especially China, an aphrodisiac.

This has made the sea cucumber trade become “super profitable”. Therefore, this animal is in danger of extinction. In the 1980s, sea cucumber was priced below 70 USD / kg, now the price has increased to more than 270 USD / kg. The rare species cost up to nearly 3,500 USD / kg.

Over the years, sea cucumbers in Palk Bay and Mannar Bay are overfished. For the most expensive species, the number of individuals has dropped by more than 60% globally.

Fishermen harvested sea cucumbers caught on Mannar Bay. Photo: Guardian.

Now, this tiny tropical island has become a hotspot for smuggling and illegal sea cucumber fishing. Like Vigrado, more than 10,000 fishing families living along Sri Lanka’s north coast are anxious about their livelihoods.

Chamari Dissanayake, Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Sri Jayewardenepura University in Sri Lanka, said: “The number of sea cucumbers is plummeting due to overfishing. It affects the biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal fishermen who have long depended on this profession ”.

Vigrado said many illegal fishing boats damaged the facilities and equipment of local fishermen to catch sea cucumbers, causing some people to commit suicide because they could not pay the debt.

“They are grabbing everything”

AM Stanny Lambert, a 31-year-old fisherman from Vankalai in Mannar, said he was sad and angry at these crimes.

“It was unethical and we were stuck, because they were doing everything in front of us,” he said. Lambert and his father have been licensed to fish for 11 years and are the breadwinner of the family.

Most reported offenses take advantage of different regulations from neighboring countries. While Sri Lanka issued fishing permits and permits the export of sea cucumbers, India has completely banned all trade in these animals since 2001.

As a result, sea cucumbers are illegally caught in India and smuggled into Sri Lanka, where they are legally exported to Southeast Asia, or exported from India under fake labels.

Marine animal protection forces in Lakshadweep Islands, India seized 486 sea cucumbers died in March 2021. Photo: Lakshadweep Forest Management Board.

In August 2020, three men were caught smuggling nearly 1,000 kg of sea cucumber from Tamil Nadu in India to Sri Lanka via Mannar Bay. The Indian Coast Guard priced these sea cucumbers to nearly $ 700,000 in the international market. A similar case was reported in March 2021.

Teale Phelps Bondaroff, research director at OceansAsia, an organization that recently mapped sea cucumber arrests and seizures in the two countries, said: “If you have a legitimate market near a market, illegal, legal markets will become huge “fish wash” dens.

Exhausted

For many years, the Sri Lankan and Indian authorities have worked to combat this type of marine crime. But the growing number of arrests shows that illegal trade is spreading to areas that have never been affected before.

Nowadays, as the value of animals is increasing, exploitation is also becoming more common. Great demand for sea cucumbers has led to deadly violence in Mexico, related to yakuza criminal organizations in Japan, and smuggling between Tanzania and Zanzibar.

According to OceansAsia, the network of organized sea cucumber fishing and smuggling criminals is spreading from the Palk Bay and Mannar Bay into untapped areas of the Lakshadweep alliance, an archipelago off the west coast. South India.

Wild island of Suheli in Lakshadweep. Photo: Guardian.

In the largest recorded arrest, disclosure from local fishermen in February 2020 helped authorities find 1,716 sea cucumbers worth nearly $ 580,000 hidden in nearby coral reefs. Suheli deserted island.

“Resource depletion may be the main reason these people are looking for new locations. Lakshadweep is still pristine, which may be why merchants moved there, ”said Sajan John, head of the Marine Projects and Policy Management Unit at Wildlife Trust of India.

Realizing the seriousness of the crime of selling sea cucumbers, the local government reacted strongly. In February 2020, the world’s first sea cucumbers conservation area was established in Lakshadweep, anti-theft bases were established across the islands and Lakshadweep Sea cucumber Protection Task Force was established. established with the help of the Central Bureau of Investigation of India.

A batch of 416 dead sea cucumbers was seized on a deserted island off Perumal in Lakshadweep in March 2021. Photo: Lakshadweep Forest Management Board.

“The people of Lakshadweep understand the importance of sea cucumber because their livelihood depends on fishing. When sea cucumbers are affected, other fisheries are also affected, ”said Sivakumar Kuppusamy, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Wildlife.

But as the majority of illegally-caught and trafficked sea cucumbers continue to be smuggled into Sri Lanka, Kuppusamy agrees that while it is important to stop this illegal supply chain, educate the fighters. Illegally catching sea cucumbers correctly appreciates the importance of this animal is also important to protect them.

“We have to convince them of the role of sea cucumber in the ecosystem. Without sea cucumbers, they are jeopardizing the sea, ”he said. “That’s when they begin to realize that their livelihoods and their children’s futures will be affected.”

“Break that illegal supply chain and convince the fishermen – we have to do both. If not, this business will continue to grow ”.

The strange movement of a flying snake Some snakes are able to climb trees and “fly” from branch to branch with deliberate jumps. Scientists are investigating what makes them do that.

Skylights are a popular architectural solution in today’s housing projects, aiming to exploit light and ventilation for townhouses that lack airy surfaces. Being part of a technical element, but a skylight brings a certain aesthetic value and freshness, is a highlight for the interior space of the house.

The skylight next to the stairs, under the skylight is a distinctive staircase as a highlight.

In fact, the sky well has existed since ancient times. In the tube-shaped townhouses in the old quarter of Hanoi, Hoi An, Saigon Cholon area … the well has been applied in construction design to ensure natural lighting and ventilation. These townhouses have a narrow width and great length (depth) – up to tens of meters and also have only 1 or 2 modest open sides (front and back); Meanwhile, the space used by functional rooms stretches along the depth of the house. Skylights here may have roofs, they may not have roofs like an inner courtyard (mostly roofless), architectural form and materials different from current housing, but the nature of the well is still the same. : a clearing from… in the sky, to exploit light and ventilation.

You can watch the whole staircase system from the well.

Skylight is a technical architectural solution to get natural light and ventilation, the solution of microclimate environment; But in fact, the skylight becomes a special space, a highlight of the house. Normally, to exploit the maximum efficiency, the sky well is usually placed in the middle of the house. At that location, sky wells can be exploited to 3 sides (one side is usually adjacent to the boundary wall), for bedroom spaces, toilets, stairs, corridors … or other functional rooms. That central location makes the skylight absorb the vision, make visual impression and easy to invest and care for the beautiful sky, making even the adjacent large space such as the common living room, kitchen … also beautiful. than. Of course, there are also houses with more than one well, and not all houses with a sky well are in the middle of the house.

Skylights are a fairly familiar part of a townhouse today. Sky wells have become necessary, indispensable in the condition of “crowded land”, crowded together in urban areas, and clear conditions of land for house construction are very difficult. There are no similar skylights. Each house is different, each owner has a preference, each architect has an idea … However, there are still common common points to note in order for the “highlight” in the house to be useful in the function. and optimize, as well as overcome disadvantages:

– Sky well is a tube, so the sound transmitted in the well is very clear and resonant. People sitting downstairs talking, people upstairs can hear; lose privacy or annoy each other. So the wall areas in the skylight should not be all smooth and smooth. Need some rough, lumpy patches for sound absorption; such as using hemp paint, cladding natural stone, brick cards, building ceiling tiles …

– If the sky well has no roof, the well bottom must organize the drainage well, and the bottom of the well must be large enough as well as the surrounding area must have a barrier system (walls, walls, doors) for rainwater to fall. Sky well bottom floor does not shoot into the clean living spaces

– With roofed skylights, it is important to note the main wind direction of the area to have a reasonable roof solution, in case when it rains, there is strong wind, it will pour rain through the crevices and openings of the roof to the roof.

– Decorative lights, hanging plants (if any) on the walls of the skylight well must be within reach or have a safety solution to control, avoid difficulties in need of maintenance and repair of lamps – electricity. , take care of bonsai.

– If under the skylight is not a fixed area such as an aquarium, ornamental garden, but a place of passage, or living space; do not hang pots, lamps, or other large – heavy decorations above it can be dangerous.

– The windows, corridors and stairs adjacent to the skylight must have handrails, iron flowers, ensuring safety standards. (height, gap distance)

– In some areas, the summer sun is very hot, especially at noon, the sun shines directly into the wells, which can cause excess light, glare, damage – damage to wooden floors, furniture; It is possible to install a ceiling curtain system under the skylight roof to block the sun and regulate light.