14 Weird Aquatic Animal Defense Mechanisms
- 6 years ago
From the bizarre hagfish that dispenses slime to ually choke enemies to the hairy frogs bone breaking defense mechanism.\r
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7. Color-Changing Octopus\r
The Japetella Heathi octopus uses an intricate, binary camouflage system to confound predators. When swimming in brightly lit parts of the ocean, this elusive guy will turn its body completely transparent; it will be like youre looking through a glass window. When the Japetella Heathi octopus finds itself in the darker depths of the ocean, its body will turn a blotchy, reddish color, making it almost indistinguishable from the black backdrop of the deep sea.\r
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6. Pygmy Sperm Whales\r
The Pygmy Sperm Whale, which is one of the smallest species of mammal amongst the family of sperm whales, has a defense mechanism that is nothing short of disturbing and disgusting. When approached by a predator, this whale will become frightened and secrete a dark liquid from its rectum into the water. The pygmy will flail about to disperse the fecal fluid around its body, making for a thick fog to obscure the predators vision. When the enemy has lost sight of its prey through the cloud of excrements, the whale makes its escape. Apart from not seeing its food, any predator is sure to be deterred by the foul smell enveloping it.\r
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5. The Stonefish\r
This is an image of the spikes of a Stonefish--the most venomous fish in the world. Stonefish are found in some parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans, although some have been known to live in rivers. Most stonefish only weigh up to five pounds and can reach lengths of up to 20 inches. The 13 spikes on the backs of stonefish, becoming erect when provoked, conceal sacks of deadly venom which are released into its preys bloodstream when its skin is punctured. The venom is known to be fatal, and medical attention is essential as soon as a victim is inflicted with the toxins, or heart failure may result. You do not want to be a victim of the infamous stonefish.\r
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4. The Hagfish\r
The Hagfish has an ancient ancestry stretching back almost 300 million years, and it hasnt evolved much over the years. The hagfish has an unusual defense mechanism of hastily dispensing slime into the water to choke nearby enemies. Hagfish have glands on the sides of its body which are filled with liters of a thick, slimy substance. When provoked, the glands on its sides will secrete the gunk into the water, successfully blanketing and suffocating its enemy.\r
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3. The Hairy Frog\r
The hairy frog is unusual in that the way it defends itself in nature because it seems counter-productive to its existence. When this frog is faced with an opponent, it will break the tiny bones in its toe and finger pads and forcefully perforates them through its skin. When the process is completed, the result is a horrifying frog with extended claws, much like the Wolverine from the sci-fi , X-Men. It is unknown whether or not the frog sustains any damage or is inflicted with intense pain, but its undoubtedly useful to have deadly weapons on demand in a world where frogs have many predators.\r
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2. Boxer Crabs\r
Its name does not lie. The boxer crab is known to be one of the only animals to punch its way out of danger, and it uses a special tool to help itself out. When threatened, a boxer crab will latch its claws onto nearby sea anemones, making it appear as if it has its own unique set of boxing gloves to dispose of its enemies. Sea anemones carry a small amount of poison deposits in glands, located on its skin, efficiently making them harmful weapons to adversaries who are landed with the stinging punch of boxer crabs. Not only do these crabs benefit from having useful weapons at their disposal, but sea anemones duly benefit by being carried around to diverse locations, which might provide them with a fresh abundance of food.\r
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1. Organ-shooting sea cucumbers\r
The marine animal with the strangest defense mechanism on our list is the sea cucumber. The sea cucumber has the repugnant ability to belch its organs through its rectum. The organs in its body are aligned with a toxic coating, which, when spewed from its body, are usually successful in deterring predators. Sea cucumbers are a part of a biological class of organisms known as echinoderms and have the inherent ability to generate new organs when the old ones have been disposed of.
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Subscribe to Talltanic \r
\r
7. Color-Changing Octopus\r
The Japetella Heathi octopus uses an intricate, binary camouflage system to confound predators. When swimming in brightly lit parts of the ocean, this elusive guy will turn its body completely transparent; it will be like youre looking through a glass window. When the Japetella Heathi octopus finds itself in the darker depths of the ocean, its body will turn a blotchy, reddish color, making it almost indistinguishable from the black backdrop of the deep sea.\r
\r
\r
\r
\r
6. Pygmy Sperm Whales\r
The Pygmy Sperm Whale, which is one of the smallest species of mammal amongst the family of sperm whales, has a defense mechanism that is nothing short of disturbing and disgusting. When approached by a predator, this whale will become frightened and secrete a dark liquid from its rectum into the water. The pygmy will flail about to disperse the fecal fluid around its body, making for a thick fog to obscure the predators vision. When the enemy has lost sight of its prey through the cloud of excrements, the whale makes its escape. Apart from not seeing its food, any predator is sure to be deterred by the foul smell enveloping it.\r
\r
\r
\r
\r
5. The Stonefish\r
This is an image of the spikes of a Stonefish--the most venomous fish in the world. Stonefish are found in some parts of the Pacific and Indian oceans, although some have been known to live in rivers. Most stonefish only weigh up to five pounds and can reach lengths of up to 20 inches. The 13 spikes on the backs of stonefish, becoming erect when provoked, conceal sacks of deadly venom which are released into its preys bloodstream when its skin is punctured. The venom is known to be fatal, and medical attention is essential as soon as a victim is inflicted with the toxins, or heart failure may result. You do not want to be a victim of the infamous stonefish.\r
\r
4. The Hagfish\r
The Hagfish has an ancient ancestry stretching back almost 300 million years, and it hasnt evolved much over the years. The hagfish has an unusual defense mechanism of hastily dispensing slime into the water to choke nearby enemies. Hagfish have glands on the sides of its body which are filled with liters of a thick, slimy substance. When provoked, the glands on its sides will secrete the gunk into the water, successfully blanketing and suffocating its enemy.\r
\r
3. The Hairy Frog\r
The hairy frog is unusual in that the way it defends itself in nature because it seems counter-productive to its existence. When this frog is faced with an opponent, it will break the tiny bones in its toe and finger pads and forcefully perforates them through its skin. When the process is completed, the result is a horrifying frog with extended claws, much like the Wolverine from the sci-fi , X-Men. It is unknown whether or not the frog sustains any damage or is inflicted with intense pain, but its undoubtedly useful to have deadly weapons on demand in a world where frogs have many predators.\r
\r
\r
\r
\r
2. Boxer Crabs\r
Its name does not lie. The boxer crab is known to be one of the only animals to punch its way out of danger, and it uses a special tool to help itself out. When threatened, a boxer crab will latch its claws onto nearby sea anemones, making it appear as if it has its own unique set of boxing gloves to dispose of its enemies. Sea anemones carry a small amount of poison deposits in glands, located on its skin, efficiently making them harmful weapons to adversaries who are landed with the stinging punch of boxer crabs. Not only do these crabs benefit from having useful weapons at their disposal, but sea anemones duly benefit by being carried around to diverse locations, which might provide them with a fresh abundance of food.\r
\r
1. Organ-shooting sea cucumbers\r
The marine animal with the strangest defense mechanism on our list is the sea cucumber. The sea cucumber has the repugnant ability to belch its organs through its rectum. The organs in its body are aligned with a toxic coating, which, when spewed from its body, are usually successful in deterring predators. Sea cucumbers are a part of a biological class of organisms known as echinoderms and have the inherent ability to generate new organs when the old ones have been disposed of.