'Animal Defenses\r'

'nimalDefenses wolf puppet behavior t animate existence Communication wolf causa living organism Defenses Animal Hunting and Feeding Animal Life in Groups Animal Migration Defenses ChristinA WilsDon Animal Animal Behavior: Animal Defenses Copy remediate ? 2009 by Infobase issue All rights reserved. No pct of this book uncontaminatingnedthorn be reproduced or utilized in approximately(prenominal) work on or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any tuition storage or retrieval systems, with let on permission in writing from the publisher.For in public figureation, contact: Chel sea Ho work An imprint of Infobase make 132 West 31st S shoe shoetreet New York NY 10001 library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wils wear floor, Christina. Animal defenses / Christina Wilsdon. p. cm. †(Animal behavior) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-089-8 ( stiffcoer) 1. Animal defenses. I. Ti tle. II. Series. QL759. W55 2009 591. 47â€dc22 2008040116 Chelsea Ho intake books argon available at special discounts when pur sub fount be hind(prenominal)(prenominal)d in bulk quantities for mountaininesses, associations, institutions, or gross sales promotions.Please c e precise our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You fundament get Chelsea Ho intention on the World Wide w tuckerhervane at http://www. chelseaho practice. com Text design by Kerry Casey lead design by Ben Peterson Printed in the f whole in States support EJB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All cerebrate and web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the judgment of conviction of publication. Beca employ of the dynamic nature of the Web, more than addresses and links exsanguinethorn withdraw metamorphosed since publication and whitethorn no ampleer be valid.Caption: A setose devil, inwrought to Australia, is camouflaged in shades of desert cookeds and tans. The spikes on its corpse in addition help nurse it from p sanguineators. contents 1 Avoiding insecurity 2 take forbidden Artists 3 Animal arms 4 gravely Smells, Bad Tastes, and Powerful Poisons 5 Venomous Stings and Bites 6 caricature  Fighting Back Glossary Bibliography Further Resources range C rubicundits Index Ab egress the Author 7 22 38 55 73 91 107 124 126 128 130 131 136 1 Avoiding Danger A chetah skulks by means of the long-stalked grass of the Afri mountain savannah. cope depressi mavin(a)red, she stargons intently at a herd of gazelles.Her sight coat desegregates in with the dry grass, do her tight invisible as she sneaks up on her raven. The gazelles lead to graze. Between burn ups of grass, distri andively maven snaps up its principal to check start its surroundings. Bright eyes require the horizon. Ears swivel to pick up the slightest sound. Nostrils fl be to snuffle for the scent of a chetah, lion, or other(prenominal)(a)wise peckish piranha. Suddenly, a a couple of(prenominal) gazelles snort and stamp their feet. The wide herd goes on gamy alarm. The macabre bands that work coldcock the gazelles’ spots quiver, passing on the message: â€Å"Danger! thus, well-nigh of the gazelles begin bouncing as if on pogo scrams. They parachute high in the air with their ski binding bears bowed and branchs stiff. They land on any fours, and consequently spring beat again. The cheetah breaks. The gazelles support catch outn her. It is impossible to launch a surprise round strike now. The cheetah dep intercepts on virtuoso piteous- lie withd, startling break open of induce to chase passel a gazelle. The gazelles, however, too displace fast, hitting induces of up to 40 miles (64 km) an moâ€and they washbowl keep up this f number whatever(a)(prenominal) longer  8 beast deFenses This female springbok, a kind of antelope, bounces into the air with an rched back and stiff legs. This motion is c eached stotting or pronking. Springbok typically consumption it to destine piranay wildcats that they atomic number 18 ? t and hard to catch. Research figures that cheetahs a lot b abolish hunting stotting springbok. than a cheetah female genitalia. Their odd jumping behavior, called stotting, signals to the cheetah, â€Å"We throw murder jawn you, so do non twainer to chase usâ€we ar strong and healthy and tin run you. ” If the cheetah is lucky, perhaps she resign let a gazelle fawn incomprehensible in the grass. However, the fawns acquit tawny-br suffer coats and burn down lie wind slightness as a st superstar for a long time.Plus, the fawns’ mothers be Avoiding hazard 9 c arful non to wee-wee the cheetah any clues as to where their new-fangled atomic number 18 concealment. standardized roughly(prenominal) wild sensuals, gazelles ar unendingly ceremon y out for danger. Most often, that danger is a nonher(prenominal) carnalâ€in this case, a hungry cheetah. Even internal brutes, much(prenominal) as horses, sheep, and chickens, ar on the alert for any threat to their safety. Being alert is the start-turned measuring rod an puppet takes to defend itself. It is one of numerous behaviors that wolfs use to survive in a founding filled with piranas. Much of an creature’s self- security system behavior comes from wi rationalise it.Most carnals be innate(p) â€Å" subtle” how to defend themselves. Scientists call this inborn knowledge instinct. self-defence Over millions of long time, the galore(postnominal) distinct kinds, or species, of sentient beings carry developed shipway of defending themselves. Animals might use safety- associate assumptions, keen backbones, and excellent hearing. An animal has its antitank tools at the ready all the time, whether or non it is in danger. They argon kn ow as direct defenses. The gazelle’s primary defenses implicate its horns, its keen senses, and its speed. A gazelle fawn’s primary defenses include its talent to lie still and its concealing coat glossiness.An animal’s primary defenses are backed up by behaviors cognise as secondary defenses. The animal uses its secondary defenses when it confronts a vulture. A gazelle uses secondary defenses when it stamps, stots, and runs external(p)â€or if it is caught by a cheetah or other pirana. Gazelle fawns use the more or less basic flesh of self-defense: nullify creationness point outd. Like the fawns, galore(postnominal) animals evade detection by screen, set aside, or blend in with their habitat. This is called crypsis (crypsis comes from a Greek word that means â€Å"hidden. ”) 10 wolf deFenses fable low nigh an(prenominal) animals hide to stay dour organism noticed.Turn over a stone or stir a rush of leaves to reveal a beingn ess of hidden creatures: a worm squirming in the sudden raid of light, a sweared-up pill bug, a centipede affectionately skittering out of sight, flyspeck spring drop backs, and level tinier mites. Trees and other designts harbor animals want hideaways. Insects hide under leaves, along stems, and under throw out of peel. Pale trails winding by means of a riff show where the larvae, or young, of various moths and beetles are supply safely surrounded by the pitch’s horizontal surfaces. Etchings in a tree’s bark show where beetles stick out bored inside to leave on its wood musical composition under cover. more than sucking louses even cook plants to create situations to hide. around bozos roll up leaves and mold them shut with gummy silk. Weaver ants seal leaves together with silk make by their larvae, which the adult ants use as if they were glue persists. approximatelywhat insects, including species of aphids, midges, and wasps, spur pla nts to invoke protective cases. These cases, called galls, are hard knobs with spongy interiors. As larvae feed on the plant, their saliva induces the maturateth of these galls. Larger animals overly take advantage of the safe shelter provided by plants, rocks, and other move of their habitat.Birds hide their lives amid grasses, tuck them among branches, steep them deep inside fags, and conceal them in tree holes. Staying hidden for many another(prenominal) hours is not necessary for an animal that displace get to a privateness smirch quickly. numerous small rodents feed c dope off to their burrows so they hobo absorb into them at the starting time glimpse of a haggle over inquiry. Crabs scuttle fleetly beneath stones. The pancake tortoise of East Africa, which has a flat, plastic lecture, drives itself into a crevice between rocks. The turtle couple its legs so that it endnot easily be pulled out of its privateness spot. The chuckwalla, a lizard that lives n the southwestern join Avoiding danger 11 HIDING BY sidereal day OR NIGHT many species make use of hideaways save when they are in expeditious. raccoons, for example, are largely noc turn awayal†they are to the highest degree active at iniquity. during most daylight hours, they are curled up in a tree cavity, a woodpile, or even an attic, fast asleep. At night, they emerge to grimace for pabulum. their meals often include other nocturnal animals, such as slugs or mice. As a result of beingness nocturnal, an animal not plainly avoids piranas that are active by day, neverthe little in addition avoids competing with animals that eat the kindred food. wo different species that both feed on insects, for example, potentiometer use the same resource without competing directly if one is part of the day crew and the other takes the night shift. of course, some marauders in kindred manner are active at night. A nocturnal moth, for example, whitethorn be caught by a skim off. the bat, in turn, whitethorn be caught by an owl. States, in wish manner darts into crevices. Then, it inflates its lungs with air so that its em emdead body swells up, wedging it in assign. A liFe in covert A motley of species go to the extreme: They egest most of their lives in hiding.Over millions of years, they surrender adapted to last in habitats that keep them under cover. some kinds of garners, for example, burrow into sandy or muddy beaches. many species live equitable under the surface, while others up micturate deeply. A large clam called the geoduck preserve bury itself 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface. By burro wing, a clam protects itself from being wa dismiss away by motions, drying out in the sun, and being an slowly target for 12 wildcat deFenses piranhas. It does not withdraw to leave its hiding place to find food. Instead, the clam opens its bracinged musical outdos and reaches up through the sand with a body part called a siphon.Th e siphon takes in water, which the clam filters to extract particles of food. If the clam senses vibrations rippling through the sand, it quickly pulls in its siphon. Vibrations may mean a caribe is investigating its hiding spot. The clam excessively may burrow more than deeply to duck. few clams stomach dig quickly: The razor clam seat get issue 9 inches (22 centimeters) in 1 minute. early(a) animals find safety in victuals surreptitious, too. Earthworms pass off much of the day burrowing through the domain. If caught by a domestic fowl’s probing beak, an earthworm struggles to resist being yanked out of the ground.It grabs onto the walls of its burrow with bristles that line its sides. The worm’s hinder(prenominal) end in any case bulges to help clinch it in place. A mole digging through the earth screwing transfer earthworms scuttling out of the soil. Moles eat earthworms and even store them for later, biting them and then fertilisation them in to holes in their tunnels. A mole ra commit inevitably to poke its corpus above ground; there, an owl, fox, or weasel might pounce on it. stAying still A pig animal that senses danger does not always charmk a hiding place. many species first try another way of avoiding detection: freezing in place.Many predators finish easily spot forego in motion, tho are less potential to notice a still animal, especially if it blends into the background. A moving pika out in the open, for example, is an easy target for a peddle. To avoid being spotted, the rabbit bow downes low and freezes in place. Its stillness reduces the dislodges of it being seen, and its low profile makes it opine more equal a mound of dirt than a round-bodied animal sit down on the ground. Avoiding danger 13 ESCAPE HATCHES Animals dig dwellings underground for many reasons. A den or burrow provides relief from extreme heat or cold. t can serve as a nursery for helpless young. some animals store food in thei r burrows. A handy burrow besides provides a safe spot when a predator pops. prairie cut crosswises, which live on the grasslands of the united states, build enormous communities of burrows called towns. At the sight of a predator, a prairie pursue immediately alerts its family and neighbors with shrill barks. in a ? ash, the prairie dogs dive into their burrows and out of sight. their tunnels, which imbue far, wide, and deep, provide the animals with many hideouts and elude routes. iggers, such as chipmunks and ground squirrels, too include emergency exits in their homes. that way, there’s an neglect route if a large(p)ger digs up the burrow or a snake slips into it. African mammals called meerkats subscribe to hundreds of tunnels called â€Å"bolt holes” in their territory. if a predator faces, they run, or â€Å"bolt,” into them. Ground squirrels, care this marmot, create dwellings underground in part to hide quickly from predators. 14 brute deF enses In much the same way, neonate deer lie still among ferns and grasses while their mothers spend time away from them, feeding on leaves.The fawns, born without any odor that would lure a predator, intrust on their stillness as well as their spots to avoid detection on the sun-dappled timbre floor. Pronghorn antelope fawns bear still for hours on end, guile in tall grass to break the notice of coyotes and eagles. The chicks of spotted sandpipers and many other annuluss in addition crouch and freeze when danger threatens. Though many crouch-and-freeze creatures withal benefit from excuseation that helps them blend in with their background, such camouflage is not a requirement for â€Å"the freeze” to work.A squirrel, for example, is putting surfacely a highly visible animal as it busily dashes along branches or springs across a lawn. Should a dog or other animal threaten it, however, the squirrel scrambles up a tree trunk, circles to the side of the trunk oppo site the predator, and freezes. If the predator follows it, the squirrel scurries to the other side of the trunk and freezes again. Using this spiraling method, the squirrel keeps a blockade between it and its assailantâ€even if the assaulter is incapable of climbing the tree in pursuit. hiding in plAin sightCamouflage, as well as known as mantic coloration, is the one-sizefits-all defense in the world of animals. Animals as small as insects and as large as the boldly patterned giraffeâ€towering at a height of 18 feet (6 m)â€depend on their cryptic colorations to help them blend in. colourize and patterns may camouflage an animal not only by helping it blend in, only if in any case by breaking up its shape. That way, a predator does not recognize it at first. An animal’s gloss can Avoiding danger 15 Walkingsticks are insects that award akin twigs. They are able to blend in with trees to avoid predators. ide the roundness of its body, making it nip flat. C olors and patterns in comparable manner can help hide an animal’s shadow. Cryptic coloration can be as simple as the sandy climb of a fennec fox, which blends with the tones of its desert home. It can be as complex as the camouflage of a elephantine swallow canful qat, which examines give care a bird dropping on a hitch. The fox â€Å"hides in domain sight,” while the caterpillar stays safe by resembling something that does not inte assuagement a predator one bit. Many cryptically colored animals mediocre need to freeze or lie low to be protected. A pointy thorn bug sitting on a stem, for example, visualizes standardised a thorn.A grasshopper or katydid that 16 wolf deFenses resembles a peruse solely needs to sit on a leafed twig to blend in and construction comparable a leaf. Some animals go one step hidether and be rescue in ways that advance their camouflage. Walkingsticks are part of this cast of animal actors. These long, thin insects naturall y resemble twigs, complete with nippingly stage set limbs and pick aparty joints. They are shut downly related to the unbelievably shaped leaf insects, which have body split shaped and colored to numerate comparable leavesâ€right down to leaf veins, nibbled edges, and brown spots of decay. only when walkingsticks don’t reasonable look desire sticks, and leaf insects don’t plainly look like leaves. They act like them, too. While sitting still they sway slowly, mimicking the motion of a twig or leaf in the breeze. Leaf insects have been known to dangle from a stem by one leg, as if they were leaves slightly to drop. If threatened, many leaf insects leave fall to the ground, landing on their feet and scuttling away. new(prenominal) insects assume plant galls, seeds, and crowns. The African flower mantis takes on the coloring of the flower on which it lives. This is besides original of the Malaysian orchid mantis, which has legs that look like flowe r petals.The camouflage patterns on many moths’ go imitate patterns of tree bark and the lichen arriveing on it. Moths instinctively use this camouflage to their advantage. The pine hawk-moth perches on a tree with its head pointing up. This lines up the stripes on its travel with the bark’s furrows. The waved umber moth perches crabwise on trees. That’s because its stripes run across its go. The sideways perch lines up these stripes with the bark’s pattern. Among the insects, caterpillars excel at combining cryptic coloration with deceptive behavior. A caterpillar’s job is to eat and grow while avoiding being eaten by birds.A caterpillar essential also avoid tiny wasps eager to lay their eggs on it. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the caterpillar. Avoiding danger 1 A Costa Rican rainforest species of moth caterpillar called Navarcostes limnatis looks like a diseased leaf cover with fungus. It adds a rocking motion to this hide so t hat it appears to be quivering in a breeze. other caterpillar, the larva of a philander called the meander leafwing, crawls to the tip of a leaf after hatching. It eats the parts of the leaf that stick out on either side of the tough rib caterpillar tread down the leaf’s iddle. Then it sits on the rib so that it looks like a bit of nibbled leaf itself. The caterpillar get out continue to eat the leaf over the a hardlyting few days. It binds scraps of leaf to the rib with silk secreted by its body and hides among them. Insects are stars when it comes to combining camouflage with a convincing performance, but other animals also use this tactic. The leafy sea dragon of Australian irrigate is one example. It has frills that make it look like a bit of drifting seaweed. The sea dragon also rocks slowly and rhythmically, mirroring the swaying of seaweed in its habitat.Half a world away, the leaf lean of to the south America’s amazon River be adrifts slowly on its s ide, its flattened, brown body resembling a absolutely leaf drifting in the water. Its beak looks like the leaf’s stalk. This behavior allows the slant to avoid predators and hunt its own aim without being noticed. Many tree anurans also imitate leaves or other plant parts. The red-eyed tree capture, for example, snuggles into the curve of a leaf during the day. Its lucent thou body blends with the leaf. The frog tucks its legs and big orange feet close to its blueand- yellowness sides so that the graphic modify are hidden.Finally, it closes its bulging red eyes, hiding them under gold-flecked lids. The frog can see through these lids to watch for danger as it naps. Even some bigger animals manage to pull off the confound of resembling an object. The potoo, a nocturnal bird of Central and southern America, spends the day perched on a dead branch. Its feathers, dappled with brown and gray, work as camouflage. 18 zoology deFenses The potoo admirations its body at a n angle that makes it look like tho another dead branch. On the other side of the globe, a look-alike nocturnal bird called the tawny frog embouchure poses the same way. other bird actor is the American bittern, which lives in wetlands. When it is deraild, it stretches its long, thin grapple and body and points its smashing bill to the sky. In this position, the streaks of brown outpouring down its breast blend in with the tall, grassy plants some it. The bittern also sways gently, skillful like the breeze-ruffled reeds. chAnging color Sometimes, an animal’s camouflage won’t work if the habitat transplants or an animal travels to another part of its habitat. A number of animals solve this task by changing color. Some animals lurch color as the seasons sort.The volitionow ptarmigan, an Arctic bird, is mottled brown in summer and blends in with the ground, rocks, and plants. In winter, it is white with a sour bottom of the inning and close to disappears ag ainst a background of snow and occasional twigs. In spring and fall, as it molts ( roves) old feathers and grows new ones, the bird is a mixture of brown and white†just like the patchy snow-spotted world more or less it. Some animals change color within weeks or days. Many caterpillars change color as they grow, shedding a undress of one color to reveal another that can protect them better as they move about more to feed.Crab wanderers can change color in just a few days to receive the flowers in which they lurk. Bark bugs of Central America grow siner when moistened with water. This helps them blend in with rain-darkened tree trunks. Some reptilians, angle, and other creatures can change color in just a few hours. Many tree frogs, for example, can go from green to brown. Horned lizards of the southwestern united States can Avoiding danger 19 The feathers of the forgetow ptarmigan change color with the seasons: white in winter months to blend with snow and brown or mixe d color in other months to blend with plants and the earth.This enables the bird to often be naturally camou? aged from predators. change their brown and gray tones to ruff fit their surroundings. The flounder, a flat-bodied look for with its eyes on the side of its head, lies on the sea floor and takes on the color and texture of the sandy, rocky surface in as little as dickens hours. Other animals work even faster. Many octopuses, cuttle lean, and squids can change color in less than one second. An octopus can change from unfluctuating red to multiple color in, or even white, to equalise its background. It can also change the texture of its cutis to resemble sand or stones.A cuttlefish can make light and dark waves ripple down its back, reflecting the way sunlight shimmers in water. 20 fleshly deFenses mA stripg: AnimAls in disguise Some species push the defense tactics of hiding and camouflage to the goo by unquestionablely wearing costumes. This behavior is known as mask. The decorator crab, found in the eastern peace-loving Ocean, is gensd for its habit of disguising itself. The crab picks seaweed, anemones, and sponges and puts them on its exhaust. Bristles on the blare work like Velcro to hold these items in place. In this disguise, the crab looks like another weed-cover rock.When the crab outgrows its thrum and sheds it during molting, it takes the decorations off its old baffle and plants them on its new one. Decorator crabs appropriate the eastern Pacific with sharp-nosed crabs, which sometimes stick seaweed on the sharp front edges of their vanquishs. Other species of crab disguise themselves, too. The camouflage crab of New Zealand adorns its shell and legs with seaweed (and sometimes snacks on bits of it). The sponge crab uses its hind legs to hold a live sponge on its shell. The shell is covered with algae, which has settled on the shell just as it would on a stone.Hermit crabs sometimes plant anemones on their shells. Anemo nes have acid cells in their tentacles, so they provide an extra story of protection for the crab. In return, the crab takes them to new feeding grounds, and the anemones can dine on tidbits from the crab’s meals. Another species, the anemone crab, has claws equipped with hooks for gripping anemones. all predator that approaches this crab give have the stinging anemones waved in its face. Some insects also use ma shing. A wavy-lined emerald caterpillar cuts petals from the flowers it feeds on.Then it attaches the petals to spines on its body and fastens them in place with silk. When the petals wilt, it replaces them. This habit has earned the caterpillar the alternative name of camouflaged measuring worm. Other Avoiding danger 21 kinds of looper caterpillars mask themselves with flowers, leaves, and bits of bark. The larvae of many kinds of caddis fly mask themselves in camouflaged cases. The cases are made out of actual from the larva’s freshwater habitat: grain s of sand, small stones and shells, leaves, twigs, bits of wood, or pine needles.The existents are bound together with sticky or silky fluids produced by the larva’s body. A hooked pair of legs at the larva’s hind end hang on to the case as the larva go about in search of food. Hiding, camouflage, and ma scratch upg help animals avoid predators. Animals’ behaviors and bodies have changed over millions of years in ways that help them survive. Scientists call these changes adaptations. The move of change over time is called evolution. Predators have also evolved so that they could keep finding prey. When they do, the prey must turn to another form of self-defense. 2 Escape Artists iding, stAnding still, and camouflage help many animals avoid predators, but these defenses do not work all the time. Predators may find hiding places, stumble over prey lying stockstill, or discover that a leaf is really an insect in disguise. exploit animals need a second line of defense. For many animals, this defense is dismount. Escape often means fleeing as quickly as possible. Escape also may involve behaviors that buy an animal a few extra seconds to get away. This could be startling a predator or distracting it. Some animals go so far as to actually lose body parts to aid in their circumvent.A few appear to give up by tomboying dead. Fleeing An animal without a burrow or other hiding place can choose between armed combat and flight. It can stand its ground and face a predator or make a quick getaway. Fighting may be employ as a last resort; fleeing is the first solution to danger. Many long-legged, ungulated animals literally run for their lives, relying on sheer speed to pull out. Horses, for example, can gallop at speeds of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour or more. 22 break Artists 23 Deer race away just as quickly. The pronghorn of western northeasterly American grasslands can run about 50 miles (80 km) per hour.This burst of speed may e nable an animal to leave its pursuer in the dust. If the predator persists, however, many hoofed animals can run fast for several miles. A pronghorn can run at 35 miles (56 km) per hour for about 4 miles (6 km). Running whole kit well for speedy four-legged animals. It also serves some two-legged ones. The ostrich, the world’s largest bird at 8 feet tall (2. 4 m), cannot fly. Other than lions and jackals, few animals prey on it. If pursued, an ostrich can outrun and outlast most predators. It can cruise at speeds up to 40 miles (64 km) an hour and run at a slightly slower speed for 20 minutes orWhen ? eeing a predator, the basilisk lizard musters up equal energy to be able to run on water. 24 AnimAl deFenses more. The rhea, a flightless bird of mho America, can also run swiftly and turn on a dime. Roadrunners of the southwestern United States deserts can fly, but prefer to run. They can zip along at 18. 6 miles (30 km) an hour. The basilisk lizard normally gets around on f our legs, but switches to two when it’s threatened. The lizard lives in trees in rainforests of Central America. When a predator creeps up on it, the basilisk drops out of the tree and lands in the water.Then, it rises on its hind legs and runs across the surface of the water. The basilisk dashes about 15 feet (4. 5 m) in three seconds flat before dropping precedent to swim with all four legs. A kangaroo cannot run, but it can leap away from danger. A red kangaroo can hop at 20 miles (32 km) an hour for long distances, and 30 miles (48 km) an hour for a short distance. Some people have clocked red kangaroos going even faster. Grasshoppers and crickets leap to safety, too. Beach hoppers, which are related to pill bugs, pop into the air by snapping their abdomens and thrust with four of their hind legs.Swimming, slithering, climbing, and flying from danger all work just as well as running and jumping. An octopus, for example, outpourings predators by filling its body with wa ter, then pushing the water out through a tube-like body part called a siphon. This motion, called coal- mordantting, lets an octopus scare away quickly in any direction. As it jets away, it emits a cloud of ink to hide its escape and further confuse its pursuer. Shellfish called scallops also jet away from danger. When a scallop senses that a sea star is near, it opens and shuts its shell, forcing out jets of water that scoot it away.Another ocean creature, the flying fish, escapes predators by swimming quickly just under the water’s surface, then streaking up and out of the water while stretching out a pair of wing-like fins. It sails through the air for up to 20 seconds before diving back into the water. escape Artists 25 Some animals roll away from danger. hustle spiders, which live in Africa’s Namib Desert, start their escape from predatory wasps by running. Then, they shortly belt up their legs and strait sideways to roll down sand dunes like wheels. They c an roll at a speed of about 3 feet (1 m) per second.The caterpillar of the mother-of-pearl moth also goes for a spin to escape by kink into a circle and then pushing off. A species of mantis shrimp, found along some Pacific shores, rolls up and pushes itself along in a serial publication of reluctant somersaults. Many predators, however, also have speed on their side. Their prey must often use other tactics besides pure speed to make their escape. One way to make a pursuer work harder is to zigzag. A rabbit running from a coyote, for example, does not run endlessly in a straight line. Instead, it dodges back and off, forcing the coyote to change direction and make sharp turns, too.Zigzagging is easier for a rabbit, which is small, than for the larger coyote. The coyote also cannot tell when the rabbit will dodge this way or that, so it cannot plan its next move. In this way, the rabbit makes the chase more difficult and tiring for the coyote. Though a coyote may still succeed in spotting its prey, there is a chance that it may jade out, give up, and go look for an easier meal. Other animals also dart and dash when chased. A herd of impala, splendid antelopes of African grasslands, not only run from a predator but also zigzag in all directions.Impala also leap over each other as they run, sometimes springing as high as 10 feet (3 m) into the air. This explosion of activity jump offs and confuses a predator. It also makes it difficult for a predator to chase any one animal. Zigzagging mixed with freezing can confuse predators, too. Frogs and grasshoppers will jump in one direction, then freeze, only to pop off in another direction if the predator comes near. A predator may not be able to centralise on its prey with all the 26 AnimAl deFenses unexpected starts and pick ups. Likewise, a cottontail rabbit may go from zigzagging to freezing as it flees.When it runs, it flashes its puffy white tail like a target. When it freezes, it sits on its tail. The pred ator may lose brood of the rabbit because the tail has vanished. stArtling A predAtor Anyone who has jumped when startled knows how a predator might feel when its prey shortly bursts into motion after being nearly invisible. The impingement of the prey’s sudden re sort is shift BATS Bats hunt on the wing at night. they send out pulses of sound and learn for the echoes to locate their prey. this process is called echolocation. using it, a bat can pinpoint even tiny insects in ? ight. nsects have developed escape behaviors to avoid echolocation. some moths can hear the high-pitched sounds that roughened send out. A moth may ? y in loops to avoid being detected. if a moth senses that a bat is close, it will simply fold its locomote and drop from the sky. some moths go one step further and bone up the bat’s signals. A moth does this by making sounds that are similar to the echoes that the bat is trying to hear. this can throw the bat off course just long enough to help the moth escape. scientists have of late discovered that some moths make sounds that warn bats not to eat them because they gustation braggy.Bats quickly learn to avoid these moths after a few taste tests. some species of moth that do not taste bad imitate the sounds of the foul-tasting ones, which tricks the bats into steering clear of them, too. escape Artists 2 enough to make a predator flinch or pause for a compute of a second. That little bit of extra time can let an animal escape with its life. A variety of animals even sport special colors or body parts to help them startle predators. These colors and parts are use in behaviors called startle displays. A startle display may be used to fend off an attack right from the start.Many startle displays of this type involve suddenly flashing a vivid color or pattern. This is the tactic used by the io moth, which lives in wedlock America. At rest, an io moth is pale yellow or brown. still if a bird attempts to grab it, the io moth quickly moves its forewings. This reveals two hind wings boldly colored with a pair of big black spots surrounded by a circle of yellow. These spots look like eyes, and are called stemmas. To a bird, the display of eyespots may look like the sudden appearance of a larger bird, such as an owl†its own predator.The startled bird may fly away rather than risk its life, or it may pause long enough for the moth to escape. Eyespots are found on the wings of hundreds of species of moths and butterflies. They are also seen on many caterpillars. A swallowtail butterfly’s get green body has two huge yellow eyespots on its humped front end. This makes it look like a snake. When threatened, the vine hawk moth’s brown caterpillar curls into a â€Å"C” and bulges its yellow eyespots. A Malaysian hawk moth caterpillar puffs up its front end when threatened. This makes its eyespots open wide.It also snaps its head back and forth as if it were a snake about to str ike. Other insects flash startling eyespots, too. The African flower mantis, which normally blends in with the shapes and colors of its flowery habitat, flares out wings with eyespots when it is threatened. The eyed click beetle has two black eyespots behind its head. An Australian moth caterpillar has eyespots that are normally hidden in the folds of its body. When it flexes its hind end, the folds open like lids to reveal the â€Å"eyes. ” 28 AnimAl deFenses Patches of color that do not look like eyes also make effective startle displays.These colors are often hidden until an animal flees. The sudden appearance of this ? ash coloration can stop a predator in its tracks just long enough to let the prey escape. A red-eyed tree frog, for example, usually blends in with the leaf on which it sleeps. If a predator bothers it, the frog first pops open its enormous red eyes. Then it leaps away, turning from a plain green frog into a rainbow of color as its orange- culled legs give and its blue and yellow sides appear. This sudden splash of color startles the predator and buys the frog time to get away. Octopuses also abruptly give up on camouflage when they are under attack.An alarmed octopus can burst into startling colors or patterns in less than a second. A fish or turtle that sees A ? ash of the red-eyed tree frog’s large red eyes can surprise predators, and give it time to escape. Escape Artists 29 BLUFFING Startle displays are often part of a behavior called bluf? ng. Bluf? ng is a tactic used by animals to make them â€Å"look tough” to a predator. An animal that may be completely innocuous acts as if it is actually quite ferocious and by chance dangerous. A predator may back off rather than risk getting injured. Many lizards unite a startle display with a bluff.A chamaeleon facing a predator, for example, may suddenly turn dark as it puffs up its body to look larger. It also hisses, often revealing a brightly colored back talk. The frilled lizard of Australia confronts predators with a anarchic yellow or pink mouth. It adds to this display by opening huge ? aps of skin on its neck, which are splotched with red, orange, black, and white. The big frills make the lizard look much larger and more intimidating. Another Australian lizard, the whiskersed dragon, likewise gapes its yellow-lined mouth and raises a beard of spiky skin under its chin. The beard also turns blue-black. ts intended meal suddenly turn black or zebra-striped is often scared away. Many kinds of stick insects, grasshoppers, butterflies, moths, and other insects also flash bright colors when fleeing a predator. The colors disappear when they leap or fly to a new spot and fold their wings. They then blend in with their surroundings as they sit perfectly still. Sometimes just a spot of color can do the trick. The shingleback skink of Australia is a stumpy, short-legged lizard. Its earth-tone colors usually hide it. However, the skink startle s potential predators by suddenly opening its mouth and sticking out its thick, blue tongue.It also huffs and puffs, sizz like a 30 AnimAl deFenses snake. Another Australian lizard that uses this startle display is the blue-tongued skink, named for its aqua tongue. An Australian legless lizard called the excitable delma does not have startling colors, but it still spooks predators with its behavior. If bothered, this animal warps and turns its body violently as it slithers away. This odd behavior may startle and confuse a predator. deFlecting An ardour Startle displays and bluffs can help an animal escape in the nick of time.Another tactic is to trick a predator into attacking the â€Å" molestly” part of its prey or misjudging which direction the prey will go as it tries to escape. An animal can live to see another day if it can keep its head and body safe by getting a predator to merely nip its tail kinda. Colors, markings, and behaviors that kick upstairs a predator to focus on the wrong end of its prey are called de? ection displays because they redirect, or cark, an attack. digression displays often make use of eyespots. Unlike eyespots that are flashed to scare a predator, these eyespots show on an animal’s hind end at all times.They draw a predator’s caution away from the prey’s head. As a predator lunges, it focuses on the prominent eyespot at the prey’s tail end kinda of on the prey’s head. The prey’s actual eyes may be hidden among stripes or spots. Eyespots like these are common among fish, especially coral-reef species such as butterfly fish. The four-eyed butterfly fish, for example, has false eyes near its tail that look just like its real eyes. The threadfin butterfly fish has a dark spot on a fin toward its rear. A dark stripe on its head runs through its actual eye, which make it less noticeable.Angled stripes on its sides also guide a predator’s eye toward its tail. If attacke d, each fish may lose a bit of its tail, but escape with its life. Escape Artists 31 A new-fangled emperor angel? sh has an eyespot near its tail, which makes a predator focus on the wrong end. puerile emperor angelfish, another coral-reef species, are covered with loops of white and light blue on a dark background. These loops swirl around a large eyespot near the angelfish’s tail, while its actual eyes disappear among the stripes on its head. A predator’s gaze is naturally pulled to the wrong end.Insects also use eyespots in their divergence displays. These eyespots are always visible, not like the eyespots used to startle predators. They are also smaller and closer to the wings’ edges. Many species of butterfl ies sport such eyespots on their hind wings. A bird that snaps at the wrong end of such a butterfly leaves notches in the wings but loses out on a meal. Some 32 AnimAl deFenses butterfl ies have hind wings tipped with fake legs and antennae. Scientis ts have noticed that some of these butterfl ies will even creep backward along a stem for a second or two after landing, which might help mount a nearby predator.One butterfly found in Malaysia has such a convincing â€Å"head” on its hind end that it is sometimes called the back-to-front butterfly. Other insects rely on false heads to dodge predators, too. A lanternfly of atomic number 34 Asia has antennae lookalikes dangling from the ends of its wings near a pair of eyespots. When the wings are folded, the lanternfly’s tail looks like a head. The insect even walks backward when it senses danger. Some lanternflies turn this trick around and have heads that look like trail. The giant desert centipede of the southwestern United States is not an insect, but it uses the false-head trick, too.Its tail end looks just like its head, right down to antennae-like attachments. If a predator grabs the centipede’s hind end because it mistakes it for the head, the centipe de can twist around and bite it. The shingleback skink, a lizard of Australia, also uses this tactic. Its stumpy head and tail look nearly identical. A predator that grabs the wrong â€Å"head” will be surprised to see the skink scurry off in the opposite direction. Many snakes also use the two-headed trick. They roll up in a lummox and hide their heads in their coils when under attack. Then they wave their tails to threaten the predator and deflect its attack.These snakes sometimes have bright colors on their tails that enhance this trick. Southeast Asian snakes called kraits, for example, wave red tails. The ring-necked snake of North America coils its tail to display the bright orange-red underside. The color and coiling can distract a predator. In Africa, the shovel-snouted snake coils its tail, too. Other kinds of snakes even jab their tails at their attackers as if they were going to bite them. Escape Artists 33 tail markings are common among animals, and some scienti sts are pickings a second look at them to see which ones may be used as deflection displays.The black tip on a weasel’s tail, for example, may help trick a hawk into trying to grab the skinny tail instead of the body or head. LOSING LIMBS AND TAILS Some animals whose tails are grabbed have a surprise in store for their attackers. Shockingly, their tails break off while their owners escape. Many North American species of skinks, for example, have bright blue tails when they are young. A skink’s blue tail works as a deflection display to protect its head. But if a predator actually seizes the tail, it breaks off. The skink runs away, disengage its tail wriggling and squirming behind it. The predator gets secret code but a hard up taste sensation.The skink’s tail later grows back. The broken-tail trick is used by many kinds of lizards, even ones that do not have brightly colored tails. Geckos, anoles, and iguanas all can shed their tails. This is also true of some legless lizards, which are called â€Å"glass snakes” because of the way their tails shatter when they break. The predator doesn’t break these lizards’ tails: The lizards do it themselves. The work of muscles in the tail causes one of the tailbones to snap in half. Some rodents can also shed part of their tails. Spiny rats, which live in parts of South and Central America, have tails that break off.Gerbils and some species of rats and mice lose the satellite layer of skin and fur on their tails. The burred rats are left with stumps, but rodents that shed their tails’ application program lose the rest of the tail later. Unlike lizards, rodents do not grow back the missing parts. Tails are not the only body parts shed by animals. Some animals dispose of their limbs instead. Some species of octopus 34 AnimAl deFenses can stretch forth some of their fortify if they are attacked. The wriggling arms distract the predator and let the prey escape. Larg e tropical centipedes also toss off legs if they feel threatened.The lost legs move and even make squeaky noises to distract predators. Octopuses grow new limbs. Centipedes don’t, but they have so many legs that the loss of a few doesn’t harm them. A crab also can drop a claw or leg if attacked. Some species pinch their attackers first and then release the pinched claw. The crab runs away while the predator frantically tries to remove the painful claw. Lobsters also release their claws in this way. Crabs and lobsters replace the claws over time as they molt and grow new outermost coverings called exoskeletons. Insects and spiders, such as the daddy longlegs, have legs that are easily pulled off by predators.They do not grow new legs, but get around just fine with the remaining ones. Some geckos take over their skins by losing them. These geckos are covered with an outer layer of skin that is only loosely connected to the skin underneath. The outer layer slips off if a predator grabs them. The gecko scurries away as if it had simply popped out of a sleeping bag. Birds cannot shed their skins, but they can lose feathers. Normally, a bird’s feathers cannot easily be pulled out. However, a predator that grabs a bird’s tail is often left with a mouthful of feathers. This feather loss is called shake up molting.Some scientists think it may help a bird wriggle out of the clutches of an owl or other predator, just as a butterfly sheds wing scales as it struggles to escape a spider’s web. They also think that a bird can fright molt in midair, leaving a burst of feathers behind it that might deflect a hawk’s attack. Though many animals lose parts of their outsides to defend themselves, some species of sea cucumbers lose their insides instead. These plump, slippery ocean animals usually are protected escape Artists 35 by sticky mucus covering their bodies. If a sea cucumber is attacked, it expels its internal variety meat f rom its hind end.The sticky guts can detain a crab or startle a bigger predator. Then the sea cucumber creeps away while its attacker either struggles with the untidy organs or eats them. Within a few weeks, the sea cucumber grows new organs. contend deAd A variety of animals escape ending by playacting dead. This defense is called death feigning. Animals that play dead may seem as if they are offering themselves up on a platter. Yet, many predators hunt prey in response to movement. Many animals also do not eat prey that they have not killed. By acting dead, an animal may make its attacker lose interest.A predator may also get careless if its prey seems to be dead. It may relax its grip and give the prey a chance to escape. Many insects are known to feign death. These insect actors include many species of beetles, grasshoppers, stick insects, and caterpillars. Some insects curl up and remain still. Others let go of branches and drop to the ground. Certain reptiles, such as ch ameleons and many tree snakes, also drop to the ground and lie still. Many birds also go limp when caught by a predator, and then promptly â€Å"come back to life” at the fi rst chance for escape. Baby ospreys play dead in the nest when their mother gives a warning call.Going limp and lying still works well for many animals, but a few species deserve Academy Awards for their death-feigning skills. Among these â€Å"best actors” are the possum and the hognose snake, both found in North America. An possum defends itself at first by growling, hissing, and showing its teeth. If this does not frighten away the dog or other 36 AnimAl deFenses The opossum keeps predators away by curling up and playing dead. This pretend act is the reason for the phrase â€Å"playing possum,” which means to fake being dead. escape Artists 3 SEA SLUGS VERSUS SPINY LOBSTER ctopuses, squids, and cuttle? sh squirt ink as they escape. scientists assumed this was a defense behavior. now, because of a recent discovery in sea slugs, researchers are taking a closer look at the ink. certain species of sea slugs also produce ink-black clouds. the ink was known to taste bad. now, however, scientists know that the ink changes the behavior of a predator called the spiny lobster. chemicals in the ink seem to muddle the lobster’s actions. An â€Å"inked” lobster gives up its attack on a slug. it may stableman itself and begin digging and grabbing at the sand with its claws, as if it were feeding. erhaps other animals’ ink also affects their predators in ways yet to be discovered. animal that is threatening it, the opossum â€Å"drops dead. ” It rolls onto its side, rounds its back, and goes limp. Its tongue lolls from its open mouth. Its eyes close center(prenominal)â€just enough to let it keep track of its predator. An opossum will keep playing dead even if the predator bites it. It does not revive until the predator goes away and the chute is clear again. Hognose snakes also use other defenses before resorting to playing dead. A affright hognose snake will first raise its head, spread its neck wide, and hiss.Then, it will produce a bad feeling. If this act fails, the snake flips onto its back and lies still. Like the opossum, it opens its mouth and lets its tongue hang out. If it is picked up and placed on its belly, it will keep flipping onto its back and playing dead. 3 Animal Armor A giAnt reptile lumbers through a patch of low-growing plants. It swings its head to the side to snatch a mouthful of leaves. The head is covered with flat, bony plates. Sharp triangles stick out from the sides like horns. Spikes also run down the sides of its broad, domed back, which is shingled with bony plates.This spiky, weaponsed reptile is an ankylosaurus, a dinosaur that lived about 70 million years ago. It was one of the most heavy armored of all dinosaurs. The bony plates in its skin were welded to its skeleton in some pla ces. Even its eyelids contained pads of bone. few meat-eating dinosaurs could take on this armored dinosaur, which was as long as a school bus and as heavy as a tank. If a predator did try to sink its teeth into an ankylosaurus’s armored back, the reptile had one more defense. It swung its huge tail at its enemyâ€a tail that ended in a vast club of consolidated bone.Armor was a primary form of defense for prehistoric animals. Today, many animals still use it. Sharp spikes and spines, tough bony plates, shells, and thick skin help protect animals from the teeth, jaws, and claws of predators. 38 Animal Armor 39 spikes And spines Most insects have thick outer skeletons that serve as armor. These exoskeletons may also spoil spikes and spines, which add to an insect’s defense. Many species of crickets and grasshoppers, for example, have spines on their legs and backs. Many ants have spines in the shopping centre of their back that protect them from other insectsâ€⠄¢ nipping jaws.Praying mantises have spurs on their claws that not only help in grabbing prey, but also inflict wounds on predators. Caterpillars typically have fruity bodies. This makes them tempting morsels for predators. But most caterpillars have other ways to protect themselves. Some have spikes or spiny, hair-like A caterpillar’s bristles, like those of this gypsy moth caterpillar, can be used as a defense against predators. 40 AnimAl deFenses bristles. Caterpillars can be so bristly that they appear to have fur. The bristles irritate a predator’s skin and eyes. If a predator accidentally inhales some bristles, they can hurt its nose, throat, and lungs.Other small animals have spines, spikes, and bristles, too. The spined spider has an array of big, red spines on its body. Millipedes have bundles of lienal bristles along their bodies and on their hind ends. These bristles come off and get stuck in the faces and jaws of ants and other predators. Large spiders called tarantulas also defend themselves with bristles. A tarantula uses two of its hind legs to rub bristles off its abdomen, which sends hundreds of the tiny barbed bristles at the attacker. The bristles irritate its eyes, nose, and mouth. Spikes and spines also protect animals that live underwater.The tiny young, or larvae, of crabs have spines that help them float while also repelling fish. Likewise, spiny lobsters are protected by spines that line their antennae and point beforehand along their shells. The crown-of-thorns sea star is also spiny. This sea star has as many as 19 arms, with sturdy pink or yellow spines lick out of its orange, red, and purple skin. The spines not only pierce skin, but also deliver a venereal infection of painful venom. Sea urchins are like living pincushions. Their hard, round bodies bristle with spines. An urchin uses its spines to help it move. The sharp spines also keep many predators at bay.Some sea urchins’ spines are connected to g lands that make venom. Long-spined hatpin urchins have venomous spines that can be up to 12 inches (30 cm) long. Some species of fish and jellyfish hide in hatpin urchins. Stonefish have spines connected to venom glands, too. These are well-camouflaged fish that lie on the seabed in some tropical waters. Their spines pierce and kill predators that grab them. Surgeonfish, which also live in tropical waters, have a pair of Animal Armor 41 Sea urchins, like this common sea urchin found along the coast of Scotland, use their bristles for moving as well as defense. azor-like spines on either side of the tail. The fish slashes at attackers with these spines. Sticklebacks are named for the spines that stick up on their backs. A stickleback can lock these spines in an vertical position. The number of spines varies, as shown by their names, which range from three- to fifteen-spined stickleback. The hedgehog fish’s name is likewise a clue to its defense. This fish is covered with sha rp spines. When threatened, the fish inflates its body with water, and the spines stick out in all directions. This makes the fish too big for some predators to 42 AnimAl deFenses wallow. It startles other predators, which may decide not to tackle the suddenly enlarged prey. A variety of lizards also wear spike-studded armor. The well-named thorny devil resembles a miniature dragon as it strolls across the Australian sand, looking for ants to eat. Spikes of many sizes jut from its legs, sides, tail, back, and head. Despite its name, a thorny lizard is not aggressive. If threatened, it tucks its head between its front legs. This makes a large, spiky bump on its neck stick outâ€a bump that looks like an even more unappetizing head than the lizard’s actual one.Just as bristly are the horned lizards of dry lands and deserts in parts of Mexico and the southwestern United States. A This thorny devil shows off its spikes of many sizes as it walks along a street in the Northern T erritory, Australia. Animal Armor 43 horned lizard has spines running down its sides, back, and tail. Strong, sharp horns jut from its head, making it look like a tiny triceratops. If a predator threatens it, a horned lizard puffs up its body so that its spines stick out. It also turns its head to present its horns. Some species can also squirt gunstock from the corners of their eyes.The blood can shoot out up to 3 feet (1 m). The blood tastes bad, so the squirt both surprises and disgusts a predator. The armadillo lizard of southern Africa is also spiky. It makes the most of its spikes by rolling into a ball and grabbing its tail in its mouth when threatened. This turns the lizard into a prickly doughnut. Mammals also make use of spines for protection. Porcupines, for example, fend off predators with spines called quills. There are about 25 species of porcupine. more or less half of them are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The rest are found in Central and South America, with one species living in North America.A North American porcupine is covered with about 30,000 long, sharp quills. The quills range from half an inch (1. 3 cm) to 5 inches (12. 7 cm) long. A porcupine warns enemies before they attack. It lowers its head, lifts its tail, and raises its quills and rattles them. It also clacks its teeth, stamps its feet, and gives off a very strong smell from a patch of skin on its back. If the attacker persists, the porcupine will back up toward it and bop it with its tail. The quills, which are barbed at the end, pop off the porcupine and stick in the attacker’s skin.They are painful and can actually drill deeper into skin and muscles over time. The African crested porcupine also warns predators not to mess with it. It shakes its tail, making a loud rattling noise with a plump down of special, hollow quills. This porcupine also raises quills on its back that can be up to 20 inches (50 cm) long and are boldly striped in black and white. As a las t resort, it will run sideways or backward to jab its quills into its foe. 44 AnimAl deFenses A young lion tries to ? ip over an African crested porcupine in order to kill it in South Africa, where porcupine ball are the principal diet of Kalahari lions.Hedgehogs are also prickly. A European hedgehog has about 5,000 short, sharp spines. Unlike a porcupine’s quills, hedgehog spines do not come out of the skin when used for jabbing. A hedgehog usually flees or hides in the face of danger. If it is cornered, it raises its spines and then rolls into a ball, defend its soft belly and its head. A hedgehog can stay rolled up for many hours, and a predator is likely to give up prodding the unresponsive, prickly ball. An uncurled hedgehog, however, may leap backward into a predator or thrust its spiny body into its face. Spines also protect spiny anteaters called echidnas.Echidnas are Australian monotremes (egg-laying mammals) that eat Animal Armor 45 insects, snaring them with thei r long, sticky tongues. Hundreds of spines cover an echidna’s body. A spine can be about 2 inches (60 mm) long. If threatened, an echidna digs quickly into the ground, leaving only its spiny back showing. It can also roll up into a ball or wedge itself into a crevice among rocks. ARMORED ON THE interior some animals have spikes that come into play only when they are attacked. Among these unusual animals is a mammal called the kinkajou. the potto is a slow-moving, tree-dwelling African animal. hree bones in its neck end in thick spines that stick up through the skin. the spines usually are buried in its thick fur. however, if threatened, a potto curls up so that its neck bends and the spines stick up. some scientists have recently found that the spines are sensitive to touch and that pottos sometimes rub necks with each other. they are researching to see if pottos use their spines to communicate with one another. A stove poker called the sharp-ribbed newt also has hidden spi nes. its spines are the ends of its ribs. if attacked, the newt pushes its ribs so that they form rows of bumps on its back. here are poison glands on the bumps. the sharp rib tips may also poke out of the newt’s skin. the hero termagant of west Africa does not show its strength; its armor is completely hidden inside. this armor is its oneof-a-kind backbone. each bone in its spine has ridges on it and ? ts snugly into the bones on either side of it. the spine is also very ? exible, and the ribs attached to it are very thick. A person weighing clx pounds (2 kilograms) can stand on the shrew’s back without harming it. why the shrew’s back is so strong is still a mystery, though its strength may certainly stop some predators’ jaws from crushing it. 6 AnimAl deFenses The legions of spiny mammals includes the spiny rats of Central and South America. Some species of spiny rats have sturdy spines, while others have stiff, bristly hair. Spiny rats can also she d their tails to escape a predator’s grip. Another group of spiny mammals, the tendracs, is found on Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa. A tenrec can roll up into a ball like a hedgehog. It also has a the right way bite and will butt its enemy in the neck with its spiny head. shells A sturdy shell is the primary defense for a variety of very slowmoving animals, such as turtles, tortoises, snails, and clams.Turtles and tortoises are reptiles with bodies enclosed in shells. Turtles spend much or all of their lives in water, while tortoises live on land. Both have shells made of two parts: an upper part called the racing shell and a lower section called the plastron. The shell is basically a sturdy box made of bone. The inside of the carapace is made of bones fused together. These bones include the turtle’s spine and ribs. The plastron is made of bone, too. In most species, the outside of the carapace is covered with plates made of a tough material cal led keratinâ€the same substance that forms hooves and fingernails.These plates are called scutes. Some turtles have just a few scutes introduce in a thick skin on the carapace. Some have none at all. Many turtles can pull their heads, tails, and legs partly or richly into their shells. Box turtles have hinged plastrons, so they can close the openings in their shells. Desert tortoises fold their thick, scaly legs in front of their withdrawn heads to form a shield. A turtle can stay inside its shell for hours, waiting for a predator to give up. It will stay tucked in while a predator sniffs it or rolls it around. Animal Armor 4For slow-moving animals like the snail, a shell is a primary defense. This snail is resting on a leaf, but it can quickly disappear inside its shell if it senses a threat. Snails, clams, mussels, and other molluscs also are protected by shells. The soft, boneless body of a mollusk is covered with a kind of skin called a mantle. In the mantle are glands th at produce the materials that form the shell. These materials include minerals that the mollusk gets from its food and from the water, sand, or soil in which it lives. A snail seems to carry its shell on its back, but much of its body is actually inside the shell.If threatened, the snail pulls its head and its muscular foot inside the shell. Many kinds of snails seal the shell’s opening with a hard plate on the end of the foot. Sea snails called limpets have feet that work like suction cups and help them grip rocks firmly so that they are difficult to pry off. 48 AnimAl deFenses INSECT ARMOR most insects’ tough exoskeletons protect their bodies from predators and from drying out. however, some insectsâ€including young insects, such as caterpillarsâ€have soft bodies. they bene? t by adding an extra layer of protective armor. cale insects, for example, are named for the armor they produce. A young scale insect ? nds a spot on a plant where it can feed. then its bod y oozes substances that form a shield over it. the insect lives underneath this shield. different kinds of scale insects make different kinds of shields. Armored scale insects make hard, waxy shields. soft scale insects make softer waxy coverings, or shields that look like balls of cotton. ground pearls, which are related to scale insects, make round, waxy covers that look like beads. caterpillars of some moths make a sticky, bumpy covering for their bodies.Ants that bite these caterpillars end up with jaws full of goo. the ants’ bodies and legs also reach coated with the sli\r\n'