--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if…" description: "\"“Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find anything else to eat. Amazingly, they can consume up to 95% of their own bodyweight and still..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg" --- # Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find… ![“Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find anything else to eat. Amazingly, they can consume up to 95% of their own bodyweight and still survive.” quote by Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg) > ““Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find anything else to eat. Amazingly, they can consume up to 95% of their own bodyweight and still survive.”” [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some ribbon worms resort to cannibalism when food is scarce, consuming most of their own mass yet still surviving, illustrating extreme adaptive strategies. **In simple terms:** Ribbon worms can eat themselves to survive when starving. Key Takeaway Adaptation can involve extreme self‑consumption. Themes biology survival self‑cannibalism extreme adaptation Mood scientific informative curious Type educational biological observational When to use this quote - marine ecosystems - research labs - educational curricula - conservation planning - public outreach Key Concepts physiology energy conservation evolutionary biology Questions to Reflect On - What does self‑cannibalism reveal about resource limits? - How might climate change affect such survival strategies? A Different Perspective Such behavior may not be sustainable long‑term and reflects ecological stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bodyweight Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodyweight-survive-2565829/) [Ribbon Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ribbon-worms-2565828/) [Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/) [Worms Eat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms-eat-2565827/) ## Related quotes > [Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/life-is-hard-then-you-die-then-they-throw-dirt-in-your-face-then-the/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/and-they-will-go-out-and-look-on-the-dead-bodies-of-those-who/) [Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/) > [As children, we dug for worms or we used crawdads for bait. We caught catfish, or crappies, a delicous fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-bryant/as-children-we-dug-for-worms-or-we-used-crawdads-for-bait-we-caught/) [Anita Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-bryant/) > [If it is not strong upon your heart to practice what you read, to what end do you read? To increase your own condemnation?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/if-it-is-not-strong-upon-your-heart-to-practice-what-you-read-to-what/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [In neurotics, worm phobias are usually found as well as snake phobias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-abraham/in-neurotics-worm-phobias-are-usually-found-as-well-as-snake-phobias/) [Karl Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-abraham/) > [It has long been my desire to be a little worm in the fair apple of Progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/it-has-long-been-my-desire-to-be-a-little-worm-in-the-fair-apple-of/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Prostration is our natural position. A worm-like movement from a spot of sunlight to a spot of shade, and back, is the type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/prostration-is-our-natural-position-a-worm-like-movement-from-a-spot/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [Eating, drinking, sleeping a little laughter ! much weeping! Is that all ? Do not die here like a worm. Wake up! Attain immortal bliss!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/eating-drinking-sleeping-a-little-laughter-much-weeping-is-that-all/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [International friendly games are not worth the lives of the silk worms who perish to make the pennants. They do not even have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/international-friendly-games-are-not-worth-the-lives-of-the-silk/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [I don't really comment on my personal life because I feel like any comment at all is opening up a whole can of worms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hartnett/i-don-t-really-comment-on-my-personal-life-because-i-feel-like-any/) [Josh Hartnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hartnett/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) ## More by Jack Goldstein > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“The shortest national anthem in the world is the Japanese one, which only consists of four lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-shortest-national-anthem-in-the-world-is-the-japanese-one-which/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“In The Chamber of Secrets film, Dumbledore has a portrait on his wall of Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/in-the-chamber-of-secrets-film-dumbledore-has-a-portrait-on-his-wall/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Dangerous objects are glamorous places to be,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/dangerous-objects-are-glamorous-places-to-be/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“In 2013, builders constructing a highway in Belize decided to knock down the Nohmul Pyramid and use its stone in the construction of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/in-2013-builders-constructing-a-highway-in-belize-decided-to-knock/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“The night of September the 14th, 1814, saw heavy bombardment of Baltimore by the British. Despite this, the next morning, the large American flag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-night-of-september-the-14th-1814-saw-heavy-bombardment-of/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“The original title for The Lion King was King of the Jungle - until someone pointed out that Lions don’t actually live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-original-title-for-the-lion-king-was-king-of-the-jungle-until/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“When the Mongols invaded India, one general built a pyramid in front of the walls of Delhi to terrify the remaining enemies into surrender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-the-mongols-invaded-india-one-general-built-a-pyramid-in-front/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“Although a Major League Baseball game lasts for around three hours, there is only around fifteen minutes of actual playing time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/although-a-major-league-baseball-game-lasts-for-around-three-hours/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“in 1955 the CIA released the whooping cough virus over Tampa, Florida without telling anyone, so they could see how quickly it would spread;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/in-1955-the-cia-released-the-whooping-cough-virus-over-tampa-florida/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“the crew of the Titanic didn’t fire the correct distress signals after the ship’s collision with the iceberg - instead they released flares at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-crew-of-the-titanic-didn-t-fire-the-correct-distress-signals/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [When you reach round a dark corner to switch on a light, be careful. Slenderman will often run his finger over the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-you-reach-round-a-dark-corner-to-switch-on-a-light-be-careful/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“Mosquitos prefer to bite children rather than adults - and prefer blondes to brunettes! No-one knows why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/mosquitos-prefer-to-bite-children-rather-than-adults-and-prefer/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“Using a daring and audacious method, the citizens of Konstanz in Germany managed to prevent allied forces from dropping a single bomb on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/using-a-daring-and-audacious-method-the-citizens-of-konstanz-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [“There is a real medical condition for which Japanese tourists are sometimes treated after visiting Paris. It is called Paris Syndrome, and symptoms include…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/there-is-a-real-medical-condition-for-which-japanese-tourists-are/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) [Explore all 36 Jack Goldstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) ## More Survive quotes > [When you have counted eighty years and more, Time and Fate will batter at your door; But if you should survive to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/when-you-have-counted-eighty-years-and-more-time-and-fate-will-batter/) [Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/) > [Some people seem to survive on very little sleep but I am definitely not one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcdonald/some-people-seem-to-survive-on-very-little-sleep-but-i-am-definitely/) [Jane McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcdonald/) > [“We'll not only survive, we'll thrive, be positively alive with a little more space between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-leland-taylorre/we-ll-not-only-survive-we-ll-thrive-be-positively-alive-with-a-little/) [Robert Leland Taylorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-leland-taylorre/) > [“Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-kersten/before-you-attempt-to-beat-the-odds-be-sure-you-could-survive-the/) [Larry Kersten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-kersten/) > [If our species is to survive, our future will probably require outposts beyond our own planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-our-species-is-to-survive-our-future-will-probably-require/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [You probably have to split yourself in various ways just in order to survive, and to think of yourself as a multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-seshadri/you-probably-have-to-split-yourself-in-various-ways-just-in-order-to/) [Vijay Seshadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-seshadri/) > [“Survive ... Some women survive by creating walls, big walls guarding their hearts and you say "let them in" but she has been covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ijeoma-umebinyuo/survive-some-women-survive-by-creating-walls-big-walls-guarding-their/) [Ijeoma Umebinyuo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ijeoma-umebinyuo/) > [I did not survive everything. No one ever does. Little pieces of you - sometimes the best of you - get lost in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-grace/i-did-not-survive-everything-no-one-ever-does-little-pieces-of-you/) [Carol Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-grace/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [You survived the abuse, you’re going to survive the recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/you-survived-the-abuse-you-re-going-to-survive-the-recovery/) [Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/) > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) > [It doesn't matter what background you come from; it doesn't matter what your circumstances are - you can survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-murray/it-doesn-t-matter-what-background-you-come-from-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Ashleigh Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-murray/) > [North Korea is still my homeland, my country. I suffered on the outside because I was alien, without identity. I was nobody. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/north-korea-is-still-my-homeland-my-country-i-suffered-on-the-outside/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [Lots of items that survive from the past are high-status, valuable things that people have treasured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/lots-of-items-that-survive-from-the-past-are-high-status-valuable/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [“We have the ability to survive anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-courtney/we-have-the-ability-to-survive-anything/) [Bill Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-courtney/) [Browse all 2,241 Survive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find anything else to eat. Amazingly, they can consume up to 95% of their own bodyweight and still survive.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Goldstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if-they-can-t-find-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Survive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if-they-can-t-find-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jack-goldstein-17049_survive_some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if_259961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find anything else to eat. Amazingly, they can consume…” — Jack Goldstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jack Goldstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Some ribbon worms will eat themselves...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if-they-can-t-find-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/some-ribbon-worms-will-eat-themselves-if-they-can-t-find-anything/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```