A small tentacle-like or grasping appendage found in some marine organisms, used for sensing or capturing food.
From Latin captaculum, from captare, 'to seize.' The term reflects the appendage's primary function in prey capture.
The 'captaculum' in certain cephalopods is lined with chemoreceptors that let them taste the water around them—they're not just grabbing tools but tasting forks that sample every chemical signal in their underwater world.
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