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Animal defense vs predators
Animal Defense against Predators 1. Many animals use chemical defenses like toxins produced in their bodies or obtained from their diets to deter predators. Examples include poison dart frogs, fire salamanders, bombardier beetles, and horned lizards. 2. Camouflage allows animals to blend into their environments and avoid detection from predators. Techniques include cryptic coloration, resembling other objects like sticks, rocks, or seaweed. Polar bears, butterflies, and shrimp all use camouflage. 3. Some animals like turtles and hedgehogs have hard shells or spines as physical defenses. Other defenses include flying fish which can glide to escape and
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Animal defense vs predators
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- 2. 1. Chemical Defense There are two main ways animals can use chemicals to defend themselves. Animals can synthesize toxin using their own metabolic processes, or they can accumulate toxin from the food they eat.
- 3. 1. Chemical Defense Thepoison dart frog has poison glands scattered all over its body.
- 4. 1. Chemical Defense Inanother example, the fire salamander makes a nerve poison, which it can squirt from glands on its back.
- 5. 1. Chemical Defense The bombardierbeetle may look innocent enough, but it is famous for being able to spray boiling hot and chemically toxic bodily fluids in the direction of any would-be predator.
- 6. 1. Chemical Defense potatobeetle babies (larvae) cover themselves in their own poop to avoid being eaten
- 7. 1. Chemical Defense The hornedlizard doesn’t use its horns to defend itself, as you might expect. Rather, when attacked, it pressures its own sinus cavities until the blood vessels in its eyes burst, and it sprays its attacker with blood from its eyes.
- 8. 1. Chemical Defense Skunks amazingmusk can be smelled miles away, their vision is exceptionally weak, and most skunks can only see about 10 feet in front of them. As a result, many are run over – half of all skunk deaths, in fact, are due to humans. The skunk’s anal musk is so powerful that if sprayed directly, the victim will experience temporary blindness.
- 9. 2. Camouflage Animals thatcamouflage themselves pretend to be something they are not. Either their coloration, marking patterns, or entire body resembles something else in their environment, here a leaf, an owl.
- 10. 2. Camouflage Here anaptly named walking stick pretends to be a twig, in an attempt to avoid being seen by a bird or other predator. This is an example of cryptic coloration. Photo courtesy of Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles, Cal. Acad. of Sciences.
- 11. 2. Camouflage Other bearsand human poachers are the biggest threats to the majestic polar bear, but by blending into the blindingly white snow of the Arctic with equally white fur coats, some danger can be avoided. Only a polar bear's nose and foot pads are without fur.
- 12. 2. Camouflage If you'reever swimming in the shallow waters off Australia or New Guinea, look for the ornate wobbegong -- though you probably won't be able to see it! This shark's body flattens out on the seafloor where its spots and blotchy lines resemble rock and coral. Wobbegongs take camouflage a step further with a little "beard" under their chins that looks like seaweed.
- 13. 2. Camouflage In thispicture, a four- eyed butterfly fish uses deceptive markings. The large spot near the tail resembles an eye. When predators attack the wrong end, the butterfly fish can swim away in the other direction!
- 14. 2. Camouflage Some predatorsalso depend on camouflage, but this time it is in order to avoid being seen by their prey. Here, a frogfish resembles a sponge. Small fish swimming nearby will be engulfed in the frogfish’s enormous mouth!
- 15. 2. Camouflage Can youfind the small shrimp hiding among the stinging tentacles of a sea anemone
- 16. 2. Camouflage Contrary topopular belief, chameleons only change color when in imminent danger. Their everyday skin color, a light khaki, keeps them hidden from enemies during those not-so- dangerous times.
- 17. 2. Camouflage Whether theircoats are spotted or black these elegant and deadly cats are born with fashionable camouflage. Rabbits, young buffalo, and monkeys don't stand a chance when a hidden leopard makes a surprise attack.
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- 19. 3. Actual Weapons Thesimple defense system of turtles is its shell. It’s so effective as a protector for the turtles. Predators cannot penetrate it, and killer whales and large sharks are the only ones that are brave enough to attack turtles.
- 20. 3. Actual Weapons Hedgehogshave spikes that are enough to deter predators. However, it can also inflict a nasty prick on its own babies that’s why hedgehogs have soft undersides where its babies can safely suckle.
- 21. 3. Actual Weapons Flyingfish can leap up to a meter clear of the waves and glide through the air at speeds of 15 km/h on their outstretched, rigid fins, leaving their pursuer behind.
- 22. 3. Actual Weapons Pufferfisheshave the ability to inflate themselves into a balloon shape by swallowing water. Their bodies are also covered with thorny spikes, which stand out on inflation, providing a formidable defence against attack. The organs and fluids of pufferfishes are also highly poisonous to humans, if consumed, a small amount can kill a person.
- 23. 3. Mimicry In mimicry,an organism (the mimic) closely resembles another organism (the model) in order to deceive a third, (the operator). The model and the mimic are not always closely related, but both usually live in the same area. This is similar to camouflage, but in mimicry the model is generally a similar organism rather than a static part of the background environment.
- 24. 3. Mimicry There areseveral types of mimicry. The two most common types are Batesian mimicry and Mullerian mimicry.
- 25. 3. Mimicry Batesian mimicryoccurs when an edible mimic resembles an unpalatable or poisonous model. In this type of mimicry, only the mimic benefits. An example of Batesian mimicry is the scarlet king snake, a non-poisonous mimic of the extremely venemous coral snake. Above: scarlet king snake Right: coral snake John H. Tashjian Photo courtesy of John H. Tashjian, Cal. Acad. of Sciences.
- 26. 3. Mimicry Another exampleof Batesian mimicry is the locust borer. This insect not only looks like a bee or wasp, it sounds like one, too!
- 27. 3. Mimicry By contrast,Mullerian mimicry occurs when two (or more) distasteful or poisonous organisms resemble each other. Both species benefit because a predator who learns to avoid one species will most likely avoid the other, too.
- 28. 3. Mimicry The twoinvertebrates on the left are different species of sea slugs, while the one on the right is a marine flatworm. All three secrete noxious substances and are unpalatable. Notice their similar aposematic coloring.