What animal has an interesting defense mechanism?

Question

What animal has an interesting defense mechanism?

Answer 1

snakes

Answer 2

A species of ant, Camponotus saundersi, literally contracts muscles hard and violently to make themselves explode and spew poison all around them.

How much more interesting can it get?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camponotus_...

http://fatknowledge.blogspot.com/2006/12...

Answer 3

butterflys use camoflauge.

animals with horns use them as "weapons" and usually charge their enemy.

when dogs feel threatened they show their teeth and spike up their fur.

when you go to pick up a fish, like a pearch, it fans out its fins, so that they poke you, and you drop it back into the water (...or at least thats what its hoping for)

Answer 4

There is a certain lizard that can shoot blood out of it's eyes..

Answer 5

ur mom

Answer 6

Armadillos, because they roll up into an impenetrable ball.

And they can travel/escape by rolling and potecting itself at the same time.

Answer 7

Here's the most useless "defense" mechanism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPu...

(That lizard that shoots blood out of it's eyes is the Horned Lizard, or Horny Toad.)

Answer 8

blow fish they actually have poison in them.

and the obvious, their spikes.

Answer 9

the octopus is very odd when it comes to defense.

they blow a cloud of ink and swim away

or they camouflage perfectly

Answer 10

I cant remeber what its called. but its some type of lizzard. When something dangoures gets to close to them they can squirt blood from there eyes. so creepy!

Answer 11

skunk, which you know what they do when in danger

Answer 12

There is a certain type of Central African frog "Arthroleptidae" that has retractable claws. Kind of cool, when they are threated they tense up their muscle and the claws come out.

Answer 13

The duck-billed platypus has an interesting defense mechanism.

"The male Platypus has ankle spurs which produce a cocktail of venom, composed largely of defensin-like proteins (DLPs), which is unique to the Platypus. Although powerful enough to kill smaller animals, the venom is not lethal to humans, but is so excruciating that the victim may be incapacitated. Oedema rapidly develops around the wound and gradually spreads throughout the affected limb. Information obtained from case histories and anecdotal evidence indicates that the pain develops into a long-lasting hyperalgesia that persists for days or even months. Venom is produced in the crural glands of the male, which are kidney-shaped alveolar glands connected by a thin-walled duct to a calcaneus spur on each hind limb. The female Platypus, in common with echidnas, has rudimentary spur buds which do not develop (dropping off before the end of their first year) and lack functional crural glands.

The venom appears to have a different function from those produced by non-mammalian species: its effects are not life-threatening but nevertheless powerful enough to seriously impair the victim. Since only males produce venom and production rises during the breeding season, it is theorised that it is used as an offensive weapon to assert dominance during this period."

Quite interesting.

Answer 14

cane toads have poison glands under the skin on their backs. most animals can smell it and keep away. those that eat them will get sick.