Did you know that some electric eels can stop a human heart? The animal kingdom contains an astoundingly huge range of weird and wonderful weaponry - let's take a look at...
The crabs are kleptoparasites, using the anemones to catch or collect food then stealing the lion's share for themselves. They're so adapted to this lifestyle that their claws are become fairly feeble but highly mobile, each bearing hooks to attach an anemone.
- The Pugilistic, Poisonous Pom-Poms of Boxer Crabs
- The Poisoned, Extending Ribs of the Spanish Newt
- The Venomous Spurs of the Platypus
- The Deadly Harpoon of the Cone Snail
- The Paralytic Bite of the Shrew
- The Dragonfly's Basket and Alien-Jawed Nymph
- The Shocking Charge of the Electric Eel
- The Necrotizing Bite of the Slow Loris
- The Crafty, Spear-Using Chimpanzee
- The Horrible Haemolymph of the Armored Ground Cricket
- The Boiling Backside Blast of the Bombardier Beetle
- The Blood-Spraying Eyes of the Horned Lizard
- The Stolen Sting of the Blue Sea Dragon
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| Boxer crabs pick up anemones an use them for fighting and hunting! (arhnue) |
1. The Pugilistic, Poisonous Pom-Poms of Boxer Crabs
Did you know that boxer crabs collect sea anemones and use them as weapons? Carrying an anemone in each claw gives the crustacean a poisonous punch to ward of predators, but it also makes it easier for the crab to collect food!The crabs are kleptoparasites, using the anemones to catch or collect food then stealing the lion's share for themselves. They're so adapted to this lifestyle that their claws are become fairly feeble but highly mobile, each bearing hooks to attach an anemone.
So what happens when the crab loses one or both of its anemones? The first priority is to get at least one back, either by collecting one from the seafloor or by stealing one from another crab. After that, the crab can simply tear the anemone in half and let both pieces regrow - that's right, they're anemone gardeners as well as fighters!
Since the shrew preys upon small insects and worms, it typically doesn't need to kill using this toxin. Instead, the bite can paralyze victims but leave them alive... which allows the shrew to store "fresh" meals for lean times. Researchers found that the venom could keep a mealworm paralyzed for fifteen days and suspect that it would be effective in a shrew-on-shrew territorial fight... but the most it would do to a human is make the bite-wound swell for a few days!
The aquatic larvae of the dragonfly (nymphs) are equipped with their own special weapon, a set of extending jaws. These lash outwards from the nymph and close on insects, fish and even other less-cautious nymphs - these creatures inspired the secondary jaws seen in the "Alien" franchise of films!
A blast from Electrophorus voltai can hammer the victim with 860 volts of electricity, enough to potentially stop a human heart. If you're wondering how the eel doesn't electrocute itself... the answer is that it kind of does, but being large (and being well insulated with fat) means that they can usually shrug off their own blasts. They have been known to stun themselves on occasion though!
Females have been seen using this toxic saliva to coat their pups. This allows them to feed without worrying about looking after their now toxic kid - anything looking to take a nibble will get a mouth full of poison.
Bush babies are small, primitive primates that hide inside logs and trees where a hungry chimpanzee can't reach them - and if they're discovered, they'll scamper away while an attacker is busy tearing the tree open. By jabbing a spear into a promising hollow, chimpanzees can cripple or kill the diminutive creatures before they can make their escape.
The younger chimps seem to pick up the spear technique far faster than the adults - obviously, the mature chimps don't want anything to do with this new-fangled technology!
While the cricket can deliver a nasty bite, their real trick is chemical warfare. A grabbed cricket begins to "auto-haemorrhage" (start bleeding) haemolymph, the insect equivalent of blood. According to the researchers who've experimented with the beasts, this fluid is green, foul smelling and tastes of bitter tobacco. The insect can spray this fluid up to 6cm... and most predators find it foul enough to leave the creature alone. The cricket may also vomit recently eaten material to supplement the chemical stew.
Unfortunately, these crickets are opportunistic cannibals who'll happily feast on a seemingly injured companion - so they must clean themselves after using these tactics or risk being eaten by their peers!
Thanks for reading - for more fauna facts, try...
2. The Poisoned, Extending Ribs of the Spanish Newt
Many salamanders use poison as a weapon, secreting toxins from glands on their skin for offence or defense. The Spanish ribbed newt takes things much further - it can rapidly extrude its ribs and punch them right through its skin as defensive spikes!
As the ribs pass through the skin, they get coated in the toxin (just like poisoning a spear) and anything attacking or even swallowing the newt will be scratched by the envenomed bone.
Despite having just torn through its own skin and poisoned its own bones, the newt seems to recover from this gory attack with no ill effects - it heals rapidly and seems to be immune to its own poison!
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| The male platypus has wicked, venomous spurs... (pen_ash) |
3. The Venomous Spurs of the Platypus
The platypus is a monotreme, a "mammal" that lays eggs... but that's not all that's strange about this creature. Not only do they have a set of electro-sensors in their bills, the males have a set of bone spurs on their ankles.
These spurs are about 12mm long and are connected to a venom gland. The poison they use isn't lethal to humans, but the pain is severe and long lasting - and research suggests that it may increase sensitivity to other pain inn the area for months!
As for what the male platypus uses the venom for... scientists believe that the poisoned spurs are used to fight other males for mates!
4. The Deadly Harpoon of the Cone Snail
Did you know you could be harpooned and killed by a snail? Cone snails spear worms (and small fish) using a biological harpoon (actually a special tooth) that can be rapidly extended and reeled back in. The harpoon injects a fast-acting paralytic toxin into anything it strikes, leaving it easy prey for this slow-moving assassin.
The geography cone snail is a particularly deadly example that can kill a fully grown and healthy human. There's no effective antivenom, so treatment involves trying to keep the body alive until the toxins break down. It turns out that components of their venom may be rather useful to medical science though, with some able to act as an incredibly potent (and non-addictive) morphine alternative!
5. The Paralytic Bite of the Shrew
Shrews are small mammals that resemble rodents - but really they are closer to moles and hedgehogs. What makes them particularly unusual is that some of them (such as the American short-tailed and the red-toothed shrew) have a venomous bite.
Since the shrew preys upon small insects and worms, it typically doesn't need to kill using this toxin. Instead, the bite can paralyze victims but leave them alive... which allows the shrew to store "fresh" meals for lean times. Researchers found that the venom could keep a mealworm paralyzed for fifteen days and suspect that it would be effective in a shrew-on-shrew territorial fight... but the most it would do to a human is make the bite-wound swell for a few days!
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| Dragonflies are fast, efficient predators... (fotopirat) |
6. The Dragonfly's Basket and Alien-Jawed Nymph
The dragonfly is an insect with a long history - early examples are thought to have evolved over 300 million years ago. They are one of the most agile flying predators in the animal kingdom, biting prey on the wing or capturing prey in a "basket" made by their legs. They have an incredibly high success rate, capturing up to 95% of the prey they go after.
The aquatic larvae of the dragonfly (nymphs) are equipped with their own special weapon, a set of extending jaws. These lash outwards from the nymph and close on insects, fish and even other less-cautious nymphs - these creatures inspired the secondary jaws seen in the "Alien" franchise of films!
7. The Shocking Charge of the Electric Eel
Electric eels don't just use electricity as a weapon (they also use it to communicate, exchanging information with other eels via charged pulses) but it is what they're famous for.The eels attack by bumping into prey and delivering a high-voltage blast from electrocytes along the length of their body. These electrocytes are specialized muscle cells with a positive and negative side - and they generate electricity when activated. The eels can even leap partially out of the water, concentrating their attack on one small part of a target while forming a circuit with their body and preventing the charge from dispersing into the water.
A blast from Electrophorus voltai can hammer the victim with 860 volts of electricity, enough to potentially stop a human heart. If you're wondering how the eel doesn't electrocute itself... the answer is that it kind of does, but being large (and being well insulated with fat) means that they can usually shrug off their own blasts. They have been known to stun themselves on occasion though!
8. The Necrotizing Bite of the Slow Loris
Did you know that there's a group of venomous primates? Slow and pygmy lorises have a two-step venom - they produce toxic oil from a gland beneath the arm that only becomes "active" when mixed with their saliva. Licking this gland combines both components and gives them a bite that can rot flesh - the perfect way to solve a territorial dispute!
Females have been seen using this toxic saliva to coat their pups. This allows them to feed without worrying about looking after their now toxic kid - anything looking to take a nibble will get a mouth full of poison.
There's even been some suggestion that these lorises may have evolved to mimic spectacled cobras - their large eyes look like the snake's markings!
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| Chimpanzees are pretty good at using tools... (Pixel-mixer) |
9. The Crafty, Spear-Using Chimpanzee
One of the most dangerous combinations in nature is an opposable thumb and an ability to plan - but it's not unique to humans. Some chimpanzees in Senegal have been observed preparing and sharpening primitive spears... which they used to hunt bush babies.Bush babies are small, primitive primates that hide inside logs and trees where a hungry chimpanzee can't reach them - and if they're discovered, they'll scamper away while an attacker is busy tearing the tree open. By jabbing a spear into a promising hollow, chimpanzees can cripple or kill the diminutive creatures before they can make their escape.
The younger chimps seem to pick up the spear technique far faster than the adults - obviously, the mature chimps don't want anything to do with this new-fangled technology!
10. The Horrible Haemolymph of the Armored Ground Cricket
The armored ground cricket is a chunky insect and would make a decent meal to any passing predator - so it makes sense that they have evolved a nasty deterrent!While the cricket can deliver a nasty bite, their real trick is chemical warfare. A grabbed cricket begins to "auto-haemorrhage" (start bleeding) haemolymph, the insect equivalent of blood. According to the researchers who've experimented with the beasts, this fluid is green, foul smelling and tastes of bitter tobacco. The insect can spray this fluid up to 6cm... and most predators find it foul enough to leave the creature alone. The cricket may also vomit recently eaten material to supplement the chemical stew.
Unfortunately, these crickets are opportunistic cannibals who'll happily feast on a seemingly injured companion - so they must clean themselves after using these tactics or risk being eaten by their peers!
11. The Boiling Backside Blast of the Bombardier Beetle
Bombardier beetles are the alchemists of the natural world. They've have mastered the art of mixing substances together to provide chemical deterrents that (depending on species) vary between a hot foamy irritant to an explosive boiling spray.The most violent mixtures use a combination of hydrogen peroxide and a hydroquinone, each kept in separate glands until needed. These fluids are squirted into a special reaction chamber (which keeps the insect from cooking or blowing apart its internal organs) at the back of the beetle where they violently and exothermically react with each other. The explosive pressure sends boiling hot irritants blasting out from behind - which can ruin the day of most predators!
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| Most of the horned lizards can jet blood from their eyes... (Kondase) |
12. The Blood-Spraying Eyes of the Horned Lizard
Does a spike-covered lizard spraying blood from its eye sockets sound appetizing to you?
The Texas horned lizard lives in the deserts of America and Mexico, where it survives by eating toxic harvester ants. It's well camouflaged with a low profile and sandy coloration, but sometimes it gets spotted... and that's where the rest of its weird defenses come into play.
First, the lizard displays the spikes across its body and puffs itself up to become a serious choking hazard for any would-be diner. If this fails, the lizard lowers its horns into a defensive position that would make consuming it like trying to eat a cactus.
If all else fails, the lizard starts spraying blood from its eye sockets. Just to drive the message home, this blood is laced with noxious chemicals (possibly obtained form the ant diet) and can act a lot like pepper spray... giving the lizard time to scurry away!
13. The Stolen Sting of the Blue Sea Dragon
Few things evoke the same threat as the trailing tentacles of a Portuguese man o' war. The blue glaucus would agree, which is why it steals those stingers and uses them for itself!
The blue glaucus (sometimes blue dragon) is a sea slug, but one with a fantastic appearance. They float at the surface of the ocean, with their electric blue colors and feathery "wings" making them look like they drifted out of a fantasy novel... but whatever you do, don't touch them.
These sea slugs feed on the tentacles of organisms like the man-o-war and collect their nematocysts (stinging cells.) They concentrate these stolen weapons and use them to defend themselves... sometimes with a greater effect than the organism they were taken from!
Thanks for reading - for more fauna facts, try...