What kind of prey do predators prefer? The most unconventional methods of protection in the animal world. How do animals protect themselves from predators?
By birth, every animal received the right to life. And it fights in every possible way for this right. In the struggle for survival, animals acquired an amazing variety of protective devices and developed certain stereotypes of protective behavior.
Sensing danger, animals first of all try to run away, hide, hide in bushes or a hole. Fleeing from their pursuers, they reach record speeds. An ordinary hare can run at a speed of 70 km per hour, and saigas, gazelles and antelopes are even faster - about 80 km per hour. While running, animals can make long jumps. A frightened roe deer jumps five to six meters in length, and an impala antelope flies up to a height of three meters from the ground and flies ten to eleven meters in length in one jump. Powerful thigh muscles and long slender legs These animals are an excellent combination, allowing you to run fast and jump far.
Fox cubs near the hole
To confuse their enemy, animals use all sorts of tricks. Many hunters are familiar with the cunning of the fox; it hides in its hole and, when a hunter with dogs tries to fish it out, it quietly jumps out of another exit and safely leaves. The marsh wren sometimes builds more than a dozen false nests to divert predators from the carefully hidden real nest. The Cayenne swift builds a tube-shaped nest. The owner enters the nest through the hole from below, and for uninvited guests he arranges a more visible entrance, which ends in a dead end and does not communicate with the bird’s “living area.”
Many animals are protected from enemies by their coloring and body shape. The animal instinctively finds a background that masks it; it has highly developed sense organs in order to detect danger in time and immediately fall silent, stop normal activity and either freeze or, conversely, reproduce the natural movement of the objects around it - swaying, swaying, etc.
Scaring sounds - growling, screaming, squealing, squeaking - often help to escape from the intrusiveness of enemies. The continuous buzzing of a wasp warns birds and animals that it has a sting. Rattlesnakes make characteristic rattling sounds, and birds have a well-known “calling” response to perched predators, such as hawks or owls. Birds fly quite close to them, emit loud cries and perform various kinds of demonstration actions.
Mantis
Most animals, when in the clutches of a predator, either scream or squeal. An inexperienced young hunter may even release his prey from an unexpected sound. In other cases, in response to the victim’s cry, fellow tribesmen may come running to help and free their unlucky brother. Sometimes the cry of the victim attracts another predator, and then both animals begin to sort things out, and the victim has a chance of salvation. In case of danger, many animals bite their offenders and often leave them deep wounds as a “memento.” A predator that receives a bite from its prey may abandon it.
Various species of mantises, sitting motionless on trees and bushes, look exactly like twigs, leaves or flowers, so that even sharp-eyed birds find them with great difficulty. The devil's mantis looks like an orchid flower, on which it spends its entire life.
To scare away the enemy, many animals take various intimidating poses. The praying mantis raises its elytra, revealing bright eye-shaped spots on them, while simultaneously adopting an ornate pose. When danger arises, the ocellated toothed butterfly spreads its inconspicuous wings to the sides and shows the bright hind wings, while rotating its abdomen. The caterpillar of a large harpy sharply throws up the front part of its body and raises its long, moving “tails.” The long-eared round-headed lizard spreads its legs wide, opens its mouth to the limit and stretches the parotid folds, which are filled with blood - all this creates the impression of a huge mouth. When an enemy approaches, the frilled lizard suddenly, like an umbrella, opens the skin membrane located around the neck. The sudden appearance of a brightly colored collar surrounding a wide grinning mouth scares away many of its enemies. Warning behavior can be observed in birds when they ruffle their feathers, or in cats when they raise their fur on the back of their necks to appear more impressive and dangerous than they really are.
Toadstool
Among the silt and grass, it is difficult to notice the red-bellied toad, colored dark green on top. But if, despite patronizing connotation, the amphibian will be discovered by the enemy, the toad takes a peculiar protective pose, in which certain parts of its bright red abdomen become visible. Raising its head up and simultaneously turning its legs “inside out,” the toad demonstrates a previously invisible warning coloration, informing the enemy of its poisonousness. If this is not enough, the toad turns over on its back and shows its entire bright abdomen to the enemy.
Most frogs and toads have a discreet coloration of green, gray and brown tones. The turquoise-orange poison dart frog has a turquoise colored back part of the body and hind legs, and a bright orange “hood” on its head. The red and black poison dart frog is covered with wide alternating red and black stripes. The tomato frog is bright red while the golden frog is bright yellow.
Animals with horns rarely use their formidable weapons in full force during conflicts with their fellow tribesmen. Even tournament fights, which males organize during the mating season, are often ritual in nature and very rarely end in bloodshed. Predators are a different matter; the horned animal does not stand on ceremony with them. A simple display of horns is enough to put a predator to flight. Only a pack of predators can cope with such stags as elk or sika deer. A good weapon Hooves are also used to protect against enemies. With quick and strong blows of its hooves, an adult animal can even kill its offender. It is not uncommon for young, inexperienced wolves to die from a blow from a sika deer.
stingray
For many animals, their only weapon of defense is their tail. Lives in the Black Sea interesting fish- stingray, or catfish, outwardly resembling a large frying pan with a handle-tail. At the base of the tail grows a long, flat, jagged at the edges and sharp, like a sword. An attacked sea cat furiously beats its tail, inflicting deep wounds with its “sword”.
Fishermen, scuba divers, and swimmers often suffer from stingray stings. Stingrays practically do not use their weapons to attack. Accidents usually occur due to careless handling of fish or when a swimmer steps on a stingray lying on the bottom. Usually, after being pricked by a stingray thorn, the victim experiences a sharp, burning pain, then swelling develops. Poisoning of the body with poison is accompanied by weakness, sometimes with loss of consciousness, convulsions and breathing problems. There are cases of death from stingray stingray injections.
Over a long period of evolution, animals have developed chemical methods of defense against enemies. Many insects have poisonous blood, or even their entire body, regardless of the plants they feed on. Such animals are usually painted in bright warning colors. When frightened, ladybugs secrete many droplets of bright yellow and rather strong-smelling blood. This smell is due to the presence chemical compound quinenone. The bird that grabbed ladybug and having received a dose of poison, immediately releases it from its beak. The smell of quinenone, which in itself is not poisonous, but is an indicator of toxicity, will be remembered by the bird for the rest of its life.
The blood of ladybugs is used in folk medicine for the treatment of carious teeth. Ladybugs are also used as biological weapons to combat aphids. One beetle eats up to 50 aphids per day.
This is used by some non-poisonous insects that smell of quinenone. The larvae of American sawflies spray streams of caustic liquid through special holes located above the spiracles.
When in danger, poplar and aspen leaf beetle larvae become covered with numerous droplets of unpleasant-smelling poisonous blood, and as soon as the danger has passed, they immediately draw it back in.
Ladybug seven-spotted
There are many animals that “shoot” their secretions at the enemy. These animals do not have a frightening coloration that could alert an attacker, and therefore the “shots” are unexpected and effective. Among insects, such amazing “weapons” are possessed by the inhabitants southern countries- bombardier beetles. When in danger, they release a liquid that instantly evaporates in air, turning into a cloud with a slight explosion. The beetle can fire up to ten “shots” in a row, after which it requires rest to restore its “combat reserves.” Such an unexpected “bombardment” forces the enemy to retreat.
Termite
Soldier termites do not have strong jaws. Instead, there is a frontal gland, the secretion of which is sprayed through the coracoid process. During campaigns, soldiers are positioned on the sides of the column and point their beaks outward.
A termite “commune” arises like this. The female and male dig a small chamber shallow underground. There they mate and the female lays eggs. Termites emerging from eggs become the first workers who begin to build a future impenetrable structure above the ground. One generation of workers gives way to another, and little by little a massive termite mound grows, housing over a million inhabitants.
In case of danger or attack on termites by ants, their enemies and competitors in the life arena, beak-shaped soldiers throw out streams of sticky and poisonous liquid. It hinders the movements of ants and poisons them. The number of termite soldiers can reach up to half of all residents of a termite mound.
Reliable self-defense weapons have cephalopods- octopuses, squids and cuttlefish. They release an “ink bomb” towards the enemy - a liquid, a few drops of which are enough to muddy the water around and hide unnoticed. Some cephalopods and deep-sea shrimp escape from predators by releasing a cloud of mucus consisting of luminous bacteria, and under the cover of such a light curtain they escape from the enemy. For a long time it was believed that this substance only played the role of a smoke screen. It is now known that chemical fog also dulls the sensitivity of the olfactory organs in moray eels and other predatory fish chasing animals.
Spitting Indian cobra, African black-necked cobra and collared cobra They defend themselves with a lightning-fast and accurate “shot” of poison into the enemy’s eyes. At the same time, the black-necked cobra can fire up to twenty “shots” in a row.
Skunk
The skunk, a representative of the mustelid family that lives in North America. It turns its back to the predator, raises its luxurious tail and shoots sticky and foul-smelling secretions of the anal glands at the enemy. Amazed by this turn of events, the predator hurries away and never comes close to the skunk again. The smell of skunk secretions is extremely persistent and can linger on an enemy attacked by them for almost a month.
When some skunk gets the idea to stroll along a busy highway, drivers and cars slow down in horror. If the machine is subjected to a “chemical attack”, it will become impossible to use it for several months.
A defensive tactic for some animals is a position of complete immobility, making them invisible to enemies. Seeing the enemy, the running hare, deer, squirrel, lizard freeze in place. Nocturnal birds, such as the bittern and nightjar, freeze for the day. This behavior is clearly expressed in solitary birds during the incubation period. A woodcock sitting on a nest, at a moment of danger, presses tightly to the ground and freezes. Concealing coloring and motionless pose make it completely invisible. Many animals, in order to camouflage themselves and reduce their shadow, press tightly to the ground, tree bark or stone on which they sit. Daytime butterflies fold their wings in such a way that they do not provide shadow.
Opossum
There are animals that, at a moment of danger, feign death and fall into a state of stupor. This phenomenon is called catalepsy. A classic example of catalepsy is the behavior of an opossum. Unable to escape from the enemy in time, the animal falls on its side and becomes motionless, imitating death. The attacker, having sniffed the prostrate body, usually leaves, and after a while the opossum “comes to life” and flees. This behavior may not be pretense, but the animal’s shock reaction to a critical situation. But it often saves the animal’s life. When frightened, moth butterflies fall to the ground and lie motionless; beetles from the family of little ones or pretenders “die.” Catalepsy is also characteristic of stick insects, which assume a certain posture and do not change it even with mechanical damage.
All marsupials live in Australia, and only a few species of opossums live in South America. Many millions of years ago, Australia and South America were connected by a land bridge. Modern Antarctica was part of this bridge. Here scientists in 1982 found the fossil remains of marsupials. The animals used this bridge when they found themselves in another part of the world.
The hog snake very skillfully creates the impression of death. If the enemy discovers her, she is harmless non-venomous snake first of all she tries to intimidate the enemy - she stretches her neck like poisonous cobra, hisses loudly and menacingly beats its tail from side to side. If threats do not help, the snake suddenly turns over on its back, opens its mouth, and after two or three feigned convulsions remains lying completely motionless. The predator, not accustomed to feeding on carrion, believes in the deception and leaves.
Hognose snake
The flying dragon lizard has false ribs with leathery membranes for flight. When the dragon is in a calm state, they are pressed tightly to the body. In case of danger, the lizard spreads them, forming the semblance of two wide semicircular wings, and quickly glides over long distances, which can reach 30 meters. In flight, decorated tree snakes also escape from attack. By spreading their ribs and retracting their stomachs, they flatten their body and fly to another tree or glide softly to the ground. Uses gliding flight to escape from enemies, and tree frog having membranes between the long fingers. Spreading its fingers wide and stretching its membranes, the frog glides down easily, as if on wings.
Lizard
An original defensive technique in animals is autotomy - the ability to instantly discard a certain part of the body at the moment of nervous irritation. This reaction is typical, for example, of lizards. When a predator grabs a lizard by the tail, it meekly leaves it to the enemy. The attacker grabs the convulsively wriggling tail, and his owner hurries to quickly escape. After some time, the lizard grows a new tail, which, if necessary, can also be sacrificed to preserve life.
Sometimes a lizard's tail breaks off partially, and a second tail grows nearby. And then you can observe a two-tailed lizard. In laboratory conditions, scientists obtained a multi-tailed lizard.
A similar phenomenon occurs in an arachnid harvester caught by the leg. Some types of insects, such as grasshoppers and stick insects, also autotomize when in danger. Reflex self-injury also occurs among aquatic animals. Caught by the claws crayfish or crabs break off their limbs, and in a strictly defined place. Octopuses sacrifice their tentacles. The rejected organs continue to move for some time: the discarded limbs contract, the tentacles and tails wriggle, temporarily diverting the attention of the attacker. Thanks to this, the animals manage to escape.
Holothuria
In order to quickly escape from its numerous predators - crayfish, starfish and fish - the sea cucumber, or sea cucumber, at the moment of danger, throws out its own digestive canal through the cloaca opening. With strong arousal, both the lungs and the sex glands can be used up. Thus, this animal gives its enemies its internal organs. A predator that has satisfied its hunger with the organs of the holothurian torn from the body can leave the holothurian alone. After some time, her lost organs are completely restored, which she can easily part with again in case of danger.
Crab
For their safety, some species of animals build or adapt various portable shelters. Thus, hermit crabs, which have a soft abdomen not protected by a hard covering, hide it in an empty shell gastropod, which you constantly carry with you. Dorippe crabs place a shell flap on their back and run with it along the bottom, covering themselves with it like a shield. Many insects, mainly larvae, build special portable houses-cases. Caterpillars of butterflies of the family of bagworms and caseworts line the case with thin, dense silk, to which pieces of plants or mineral particles are attached to the outside. The caterpillars spend their entire lives in this case, moving with the help of their thoracic legs.
Often, for the sake of safety and procreation, animals unite in groups and act together against the enemy. Hundreds of eyes and ears help to quickly detect a predator, and the manner of scattering in all directions when a predator approaches confuses it and prevents it from choosing a specific victim. And here the main thing for a predator is not to chase “two birds with one stone.”
When wolves attack them, musk oxen form a circle in which the calves and females are hidden, and the males line up in the outer circle, exposing their strong horns to the enemy. Beavers hit the water with their tail, in this way notifying the other members of the colony about the approach of an enemy. In prairie dogs and some species of marmots and ground squirrels, in case of danger, each animal emits a piercing cry, warning neighbors that they need to hide.
Sea urchins
Schools of fish formed as a method of protection. When there is danger they gather in flocks herring fish, and the anchovies are bunched together so tightly that they form a huge compact ball. On the surface of such a ball there is the smallest number of fish that are in immediate danger. On a flat part of the bottom, sea urchins-diadems are located from each other at a distance of the length of a needle.
Needle injections sea urchins, very painful. They are especially dangerous for divers, who, having received an unexpected painful injection, may lose consciousness. They are very dangerous tropical species sea urchins producing sebaceous paralytic poisons.
The long, mobile and poisonous needles of diadems make this group of animals inaccessible to many predators. Collective defense occurs in birds. Together, rooks, gulls, and swallows protect their nests, selflessly engaging in the fight against birds of prey and animals. Mass accumulation for the sake of protection is also typical for some small insects, for example, colorful sawflies or soldier bugs. In a gathering, their warning coloration is more noticeable, which scares off many insectivorous birds.
Barn Swallows
However, no matter how effective natural selection one or another method of defense, animals need not only to change it, but also to improve it, since predators are constantly developing new methods of mastering prey, improving, in turn, their sense organs and means of attack. The mongoose learned to avoid the poisonous teeth of the cobra and gain the upper hand over it with the help of sheer swiftness and hunting skill. Bears and badgers have become immune to the stings of bees protecting their honeycombs. The cuttlefish learned to get out shrimps hidden in the sand by knocking off the sand with a stream of water.
The hard shells of shellfish do not guarantee their safety. Sea stars capable of pulling the doors in different directions with such force and for so long that they eventually open them. Sea otter, or sea otter, adapted to break the strong shells of mollusks on stone. The anteater copes with the strong communal shelters of termites by breaking their walls with the help of long powerful claws.
In short, the struggle for life continues.
Small animals have many natural enemies from which they must constantly hide and defend themselves. Exist different ways protection from predators. The main one is escape. In addition, animals are able to mimic, which makes them invisible in their habitat, hide inside shells or under a hard shell, and increase in size at a time of danger in order to frighten a predator. Small animals that do not have any of these protective properties solve the problem of survival and preservation of the species in a simple way - they multiply vigorously.
Jerzy
Hedgehogs lead active image life from dusk to dawn: these small mammals have adapted to hunt at night. Moreover, in dark time during the day they are exposed to less danger - after all, during the day they can become prey to numerous predators at any moment. The hedgehog escapes from its enemies in two ways: if possible, it takes off running, but if this is not possible, it curls up into a ball, hiding the soft parts of its body under a thick cover of sharp needles. In this form, adults are practically invulnerable, but babies, whose muscles are not yet sufficiently developed, cannot always resist the attack of a predator.
Octopus and cuttlefish
The ancestors of octopuses and cuttlefish competed with fish for sea dominance for many millions of years. However, the long rivalry did not reveal a winner.
Dexterity, speed, sharp vision are the undeniable advantages of these mollusks. But cuttlefish have another “weapon” in their arsenal: at the slightest danger, they throw dark ink into the water, which hides them from enemies and disguises their escape.
Sea Horse
About the Cubs seahorse father cares. The male carries the eggs of the embryos in his abdominal pouch until they are born. A large number of embryos maturing in the paternal pouch contributes to the preservation of the species.
Common tree frog
Camouflage is the most effective remedy protection of frogs. Some species of these amphibians are very poisonous, as indicated by their bright colors. Predators prefer to stay away from such tasty but poisonous prey.
Armadillo
In the pampas, steppe zone South America, there are very few natural shelters where armadillos could find shelter. The main means of protection of these animals is a strong shell. At the slightest danger, armadillos curl up into a ball covered with hard scales, which protects them like a shield.
Sea porcupine
Displaying hundreds of prickly thorns is an excellent defense strategy. The porcupine fish, when threatened, inflates and spreads the prickly spines located on the surface of its skin. Taking the form of a prickly ball, it protects itself from the gastronomic demands of predators.
spotted skunk
Skunks keep predators at bay by releasing a stream of foul-smelling liquid. In case of danger, the skunk first stands on its front legs, demonstrating its intentions. If the enemy does not move away, the skunk releases a foul-smelling liquid that stops the enemy. Only big ones predator birds dare to hunt skunks. They attack the animals from above before they have time to react.
Hyena
The work of hyenas begins where the work of large felines ends. In small groups, hyenas surround the remains, partially gnawed by predators, protecting them from the attacks of jackals and vultures. Digestive system hyenas allow them to digest the hardest parts of the remains, those that are not used as food by other types of animals that feed on carrion.
Powerful jaws
Adult hyenas have extremely powerful jaws. They can crush bones with them to extract nutrients located in the bone marrow.
Jackal
This small predator lives in the same area as the hyena, so these two species are in constant competition for food. In this competition, the jackal, cautious by nature, adheres to defensive tactics rather than offensive ones. If necessary, jackals unite in packs, and then they can attack animals that are larger in size.
Tasmanian devil
The Tasmanian devil, living in the forests of Tasmania, is considered a ferocious predator, although in fact it feeds exclusively on carrion. This animal is very timid and cautious. Its dark, loud cries can only be heard at night. It is because of this terrifying Howling, he gained fame as a bloodthirsty predator.
Insects
The remains of small animals can be processed not only by hyenas or vultures. Thousands of insects accumulate in the corpse, and a real feast begins. Some insects lay eggs there, and entire colonies of larvae complete the cycle of processing the remains.
Condor
These huge birds, whose wingspan reaches three meters, live high in the Andes, between Venezuela and Tierra del Fuego. They are very voracious and sweep up any carrion in their path. Sometimes, after a hearty meal, they are unable to rise into the air due to excess weight.
Black vulture
Streams warm air, rising above the sun-heated savanna, help the vultures take off. Circling high in the sky, vultures explore the surface of the earth. Having noticed his sharp vision the prey left by the predators begin their meal. After the feast of the vultures, little remains of the remains.
As a “method of protection” we will consider any adaptation (feature of lifestyle, etc.) that, in our opinion, reduces the likelihood of death of individuals of a given species from predators. The idea that a given adaptation actually helps in defense is often based on indirect evidence, although in many cases it could be verified experimentally or by comparison with related species that lack such an adaptation. When answering, we do not imply that this or that trait is necessarily specifically designed for protection from predators (i.e., it arose under the influence of this danger and has no other adaptive significance). Let's divide all the methods into three large groups. In parentheses after the description of each method we indicate the numbers of those with which it is most often combined.
2. Avoiding contact with a predator after detection:
a) escape (1b); often the “shelter” is an environment inaccessible to a predator - a bird takes off, a beaver dives, etc.; it gives this method similarity with method 1a; one of the methods of escape can be the “imaginary death” reaction, in which, for example, the beetle “dead” falls to the ground (1 g, 1 d); this method is close to method 2b.
b) hiding (the method is similar to method 1d);
c) the release of protective substances - an ink cloud (discourages the predator’s sense of smell and distracts its attention from the intended victim), a luminous cloud (used by deep-sea shrimp, blinds the predator), poisonous, caustic or burning aerosols or liquids, sticky substances that impede the movements of the predator (2a; the method is partly similar to Za and to a large extent to Zg);
d) warning color, smell, sound (For); repellent coloring; mimicry (with the latter method it does not matter that the predator is detected);
e) alarm signal (notifying other individuals about the approach of a predator) (2a, 2b, 3d).
This may also include devices that allow early detection of a predator ( good vision, hearing, smell, etc.), which are useful in combination with most other methods of protection.
3. Methods effective in direct contact with a predator:
a) inedible, toxic “when eaten” (2d); in fact, it rarely comes to “direct contact” here, since most predators, by birth or due to experience, avoid poisonous victims;
b) shell, shell, indigestible shells, spines, needles, slipperiness (2a) - “flight” here can be considered taking a protective pose, for example, closing the shell valves; the method is largely similar to method 1b;
c) large sizes (3b, 3g); in some cases, size is effective in itself: a predator simply cannot swallow a large prey; often he doesn't even attack too much big catch, so this method can be attributed to the first group;
d) “active defense”: the victim “fights” with the predator, trying to cause damage to it; in this case, mechanical means (teeth, claws, hooves, etc.) and chemical ( stinging cells, poisonous teeth and other methods of injecting poison), less often - others, for example, electrical organs (Sv); often efficiency active protection enhanced by its collective character (2d);
e) autotomy (for example, a lizard throwing away its tail), sacrificing a part of the body (for example, a distracting color or shape, when a less vulnerable part of the body is “exposed” to a predator) (2a).
Meeting with natural enemy usually ends in the death of the animal, therefore, in the process of evolution, only individuals with effective methods of defense survived. How do animals protect themselves from enemies, what protective devices have they acquired in the struggle for survival?
Animals defend themselves in different ways. Some quickly run away, others skillfully hide or disguise themselves, and others defend themselves. It all depends on the size of the animal, its lifestyle and the protective organs that Mother Nature has endowed it with. Below are the most interesting ways protection.
How animals defend themselves when running away from enemies
The hare, running away, reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h, but this is not a record. Saigas, gazelles and antelopes are able to flee from danger at a speed of 80 km/h. Moreover, some animals are capable of making ultra-long jumps while running: for example, a roe deer is up to six meters long, and an impala antelope is up to 11 meters long and up to 3 meters high.
How animals protect themselves by hiding from enemies
A hole is the most reliable shelter of an animal, but some animals, such as a fox or a beaver, “guessed” that it was better if there were two exits from it, distant from each other. And the beaver’s entrance and exit to its “hut” are completely underwater.
The same applies to such seemingly open shelters as bird nests. This is how the Cayenne swift builds a tube-shaped nest. One hole in such a nest is a wide and noticeable, but dead-end “entrance” for “strangers,” and the second is a small and inconspicuous entrance for the swift itself.
How animals protect themselves by camouflage
The real masters of camouflage are insects. So even the sharp eyes of birds cannot distinguish a praying mantis sitting on a bush or tree from a twig or leaf. Some insects even imitate the vibration of plants from the wind with their body movements.
The coloration of the body surface of many animals coincides with their primary colors. normal environment habitat, it is, as they say, protective. It is for the purpose of camouflage that the seasonal molting of some animals living in the northern hemisphere, for example, hares, occurs.
How animals protect themselves by defending themselves
Animals defend themselves with whatever they can: with teeth, claws (wolves, cats, bears), horns, hooves (elk, deer), quills (hedgehogs, porcupines) and even tails (sea cat). But especially interesting are animals that use chemicals produced by their bodies to protect themselves.
An ordinary ladybug, when attacked or frightened, releases many droplets of an unpleasant-smelling bright yellow liquid called quinenone. Birds do not like the smell of quinenone; they mistake it for poison and, having grabbed a ladybug, immediately release it.
When in danger, southern bombardier beetles secrete a liquid that instantly evaporates in air with a slight “explosion,” forming a cloud. The beetle is capable of performing this “trick” several times in a row, and a series of such unexpected “explosions” very often scares away enemies.
Some types of cobras (Indian spitting, African black-necked and collared) defend themselves by “spitting” venom into the eyes of the enemy as a sniper. Moreover, the black-necked cobra can perform this operation up to twenty times in a row.
How does a skunk protect itself from enemies?
The legendary animal that defends itself using chemical secretions is the North American skunk. In defense, he turns his back to the attacker, raises his tail and pours very unpleasant-smelling secretions of the anal glands on the enemy.
These secretions literally repel the aggressor with their smell and, once on any surface, retain their smell for a very long time. North American motorists have been unable to wash their cars for several months after they were hit by a chemical skunk attack.
Some animals defend themselves from enemies by taking on a threatening appearance, leaving parts of their body in the paws of the attacker, or even pretending to be dead. There are many methods of protection, and their effectiveness can be evidenced by the fact that the representative of the fauna using them has not yet disappeared from the lists of the animal world of our planet.
Animals use a wide variety of means of defense against enemies: they pretend to be dead, gather in groups, emit repellent substances, and more often they simply flee.
An opossum digs in the ground in search of food on the bank of a river in Arizona (USA). Suddenly a coyote jumps out of the bushes. The possum sees the predator, but it is too late to escape. It is useless to get into a fight or jump into the water. The only thing the possum can do is deceive the enemy. He falls on his side, opens his mouth and freezes in place. The coyote approaches the opossum, touches it with its paw, turns it over, and sniffs it. Mistaking the animal for carrion, he soon loses interest in it and walks away, while the revived opossum rushes for cover.
Saving faint
A similar trick, but purely reflexively, is performed by domestic chickens. If you turn a chicken on its back so that its legs are in the air, the bird will not even move. This reflex is common to many wild birds(pigeons, lapwings, oystercatchers, etc.). As soon as you turn these birds upside down, they freeze, as if paralyzed. A clap of your hands or some other loud sound can bring the bird to its senses. Bird "fainting" undoubtedly has a protective meaning. If on the bird will attack a predator and accidentally turns her over on her back, she will immediately turn into “carrion.” And many predators disdain carrion.
Public address systems
For many animals, flight is the only means of defense against enemies. But you also have to flee wisely. When they see an enemy, European marmots and African meerkats hide in holes. But unlike rabbits and prairie dogs that do the same, they have a well-established system for alerting their relatives. Among marmots, one of the members of the group always stands on guard and at the slightest sign of a threat, gives an alarm signal - a loud whistle. Meerkats living in large colonies require a more advanced alarm system. They have patrolmen stationed throughout the colony. They also warn their relatives of danger using sounds.
Alarm, alarm!
Loud alarm calls made by some birds help other animals escape from enemies. Such sounds, for example, are made by South American umbrella birds, or bigheads. Their warnings of danger are playing important role in the lives of many other birds. Golovachs are territorial birds, jealously guarding their areas. Therefore, it is beneficial for other, more timid birds to nest next to them.
Golden plovers, nesting in northern Eurasia, also sound loud alarm calls when their territory is violated. IN middle lane In Eurasia, a similar role is played by the black-headed gull, next to whose colonies other, less noisy birds often settle, such as black-necked grebes and gray ducks, which often build nests right in the middle of the gull colony.
Elbow feeling
A lion bursting into a herd of zebras finds itself completely at a loss: white and black stripes flickering before its eyes prevent the predator from identifying a specific victim. In the face of danger, many animals instinctively huddle together in groups to frighten the enemy. A school of sardines of many thousands of individuals moves through the water like one huge fish. It behaves like a single “superorganism”. When a flock notices, for example, the approach of a fur seal, it goes to the depths, hoping to break away from the predator. The school may even split in two or surround the cat in an attempt to confuse it. In a dense school of fish, it is difficult for a seal to choose one single victim. He has to attack the sardines again and again until one of the fish breaks away from the school. In addition, by gathering in schools, sardines save energy: the fish are helped to swim by water flows created by their neighbors.
In the wake of a shark
Fur seals hunt small fish, but they themselves often become victims large fish- sharks Off the coast South Africa white sharks often prey on Cape sharks fur seals. To avoid becoming prey for a shark, seals try to stay in a small dense group and swim directly at its tail: because huge size It is very difficult for a predator to turn her body around. After performing this maneuver several times, the shark gets tired and swims away. But if one of the seals gapes and lags behind the others, the fate of the sardines he eats awaits him.
Closer to parents
Large herds of zebra and wildebeest consist of adult animals and their young. Cubs usually try to stay close to their mothers, in the depths of the herd, where several rows of adults separate them from insidious predators. However, when attacked by a predator, a herd of zebras or wildebeest scatters, and the cubs often become easy prey for the animals.
Musk oxen living in the tundra in northern Asia and America behave differently. In summer they live in small groups, and in winter they gather in huge herds. When wolves approach, adult animals form a dense ring, in the center of which the calves hide. Therefore, wolves attack musk oxen infrequently: if predators come too close to the herd, the huge bulls can rush to attack.
Chemical weapon
To protect themselves from predators, some animals use odorous and caustic substances. This is how, for example, the ferret defends itself. In the anal area of this animal there are glands that secrete a substance with a sharp unpleasant smell, which can scare away any predator. A similar substance is also produced by many other representatives of the mustelid family (weasels, minks, badgers). But unsurpassed masters Other representatives of mustelids, the North American skunks, are rightfully considered chemical defense agents.
By using chemical weapons Many insects, in particular the bombardier beetle, also defend themselves from enemies. When a predator tries to grab it, the beetle ejects a caustic liquid from the anus, instantly evaporating into the air with a loud crack. Many ants spray caustic formic acid at their enemies, secreted by glands at the end of their abdomen. Many other living creatures use caustic and poisonous substances to protect themselves from enemies, which they introduce into the enemy’s body with the help of needles and spines, for example, sea inhabitants such as scorpion fish and a number of sea urchins.
Some fish use electrical discharges for defense. One of the most famous examples- South American electric eel: electricity helps it navigate in the water, hunt and protect itself from enemies. It lives in oxygen-poor overgrown forest rivers. Up to 6,000 “electric batteries”—modified muscles—stretch in rows all over his body. With a discharge of 500 W, the eel easily kills small fish; he uses a weaker voltage for orientation muddy water. Some stingrays, catfish and other fish are also armed with an “electric shocker”. To swim away from the enemy unnoticed, cephalopods (octopuses, squids and cuttlefish) release an impenetrable ink cloud in front of him.
