Animal Survival: Crazy Defence Tactics

This week the Into the Wild team has been looking at some of the craziest and most entertaining animal behaviour out there. Today we’re checking out how animals get themselves out of sticky situations bringing you some of the top survival tips from the animal kingdom. So if you ever get yourself into a spot of bother, think what would the animals do?

Photo courtesy of wwarby

...hide from sight

Being a master of disguise is one of the handiest tricks of the trade when it comes to avoiding being someone’s supper and these guys take camouflage to a whole new level. The flatfish has perfected eluding its predators by merging almost seamlessly with the sea bed with some species even being able to change their pigmentation to match different backgrounds – oddly enough for the flatfish to camouflage itself in this way it has to have both eyes on one side of its head.

Sea slugs, having lost the hard outer shell possessed by snails, are particularly vulnerable to predation so have had to develop an incredible level of camouflage to stay safe in their watery habitats. Many species of sea slug have matched their bodies perfectly in both texture and colour to that of the food they eat in order to evade capture by their predators. Apologies for the following patronising video, just pretend you're a child.

A humorous choice for camouflage is the bird dropping spider, which chooses to disguise itself as bird poo in order to remain undetected but must remain completely still so as not to give the game away.

Stick insects are such masters of concealment it’s near impossible to tell where the tree ends and the stick insect begins. Their tree-tastic camouflage is equally matched by that of the dead leaf butterfly and the grey cicada’s top notch bark blending skills. So next time you’re playing poo sticks just think it could be a stick insect you’re drowning.

...find safety in numbers

In many cases the phrase ‘there’s safety in numbers’ rings true with many animals using it as a tactic to avoid predators. By forming a tightly knit shoal, the fish not only massively reduce the chances of being picked-off by predators but also reduces the chances of the predator catching anyone at all – which is why it is a survival strategy used by many fish including sardines, herrings and many more. At a distance large shoals may be mistaken as a larger fish too big to attack or even appear as an object that may threaten the predator resulting in the attacker leaving well alone.

Even if the predator still chooses to attack at least the fish do not have to face a one-on-one battle and can instead use an intelligent series of synchronised movements as a shoal to confuse attackers. By moving as one, the majority of the shoal can avoid being preyed upon. However the downside is you could be that unlucky one that gets swiped from the crew – but at least your odds are better when you’re one of many.

The same benefits of moving on mass are gained by animals such as buffalo and zebra living in herds, which despite being easily detected amongst the landscape can, by working together, avoid the jaws of their predators.

...be toxic to the touch

Found in Central and South America, the poisonous dart frog can fend of predators with its poison which contains a toxin causing paralysis when it enters an animal’s bloodstream. Surprisingly it is the skin which contains the poison, which it is believed the frogs don’t actually produce themselves but acquire from the insects they eat.

The stonefish is high on the menu for bottom-feeding sharks and rays, but it doesn’t go down without a fight, using the thirteen sharp dorsal spines on its back to defend himself. When a predator attacks, the pressure placed upon the stonefish’s spines causes venom to be involuntary expelled into the attacker. The only downside is that it takes a couple of weeks for the Stonefish’s venom glands to regenerate and recharge.

The African crested rat is the only mammal known to use a lethal plant toxin for its own defence. The rat chews the bark of the poisonous Acokanthera tree and then rubs its salvia on to its flanks so that any predator which attacks it comes into contact with the poison. The hairs on the rat’s flanks are specially adapted and perforated in order to help soak up the poisonous spit. However scientists still don’t know how the rat is able to chew the poisonous bark without becoming sick itself.

...get feisty

Just as the name suggests the Spitting Cobra defends itself from attack by ferociously spitting venom into its assailant’s face. If any of the venom spurted from the snake’s fangs enters the predator’s eyes it will not only cause extreme pain, but could also blind the assailant.

If you thought that was bad you definitely don’t want to get the wrong side of the Bombardier beetle…literally. When disturbed the Bombardier ejects a noxious chemical spray in a rapid burst of pulses from a special gland in its abdomen. The whole system works because the beetle produces and stores two reactant chemical compounds hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide in separate reservoirs in the rear tip of its abdomen. When threatened the beetle contracts muscles that force the two chemicals through valved tubes into a mixing chamber containing water and a mixture of catalytic enzymes. When the two chemicals come into contact with each other they undergo a violent exothermic chemical reaction which results in the mix reaching temperatures close to the boiling point of water and the build up of pressure. The Valves to the reactant storage chambers close and the boiling, foul-smelling liquid evaporates as it is expelled from the beetle with a loud popping sound. The Bombardier beetle’s nasty brew can cause fatal damage to attacking insects and small creatures and is even painful to the human skin. In some species of bombardier beetle the outlet gland can thrust between the insect’s legs and even swivel through 270 degrees enabling the insect to discharge this unpleasant concoction in a multitude of directions with considerable accuracy.

Now onto the regal horn lizard, who despite being covered in spikes, chooses a rather more strange and gross method as its first line of defence. This lizard is capable of building up such a high blood pressure in its eye socket that it can actually squirt blood from them to warn of foes.

...play dead

Possums are great actors and get really theatrical when it comes to playing dead – keeling over, stiffening and remaining ultra still until they think the danger has passed. But it appears the opossum is not alone when it comes to playing dead; the eastern hognose snake really knows how to put on a show.

The eastern hognose snake begins by rolling its body so it’s belly up, then it droops its tongue out of its mouth before finally ejecting a foul smelling musk from its anus to make it smell like it’s been dead a while. Seems like when your life is on the line the best thing to do is to pretend you’ve already lost it.

By Hannah Jones

Comments

[prakash]

Thanks for a lot of good info. It's great.