Strange animals?

The sea cucumber ejects part if its inner organs for the predator to eat while it escapes.

Vultures and camelids will vomit when threatened. (The "spitting camel" is actually a "blob of projectile vomit camel.")

Horned lizards shoot blood from their eyes.

There's some sort of ant that is full of poison and will explode itself to spray the poison everywhere.

Also, many animals poop themselves when frightened, but this isn't really a defense mechanism....

Some members of the reptile family can shed a significant length of wriggling tail at will as they make their escape from a predator.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325170604.htm

There is a centipede which lives in caves in South America that will shed a glowing two dimensional 'copy' of itself onto the ground.

Not exactly gross, but my first thought, the sea cucumber, was taken.

There's the skunk.

Buffysquirrel said:

There's the skunk.

Click to expand...

omg the skunk

Once sprayed, never forgotten.

swhibs123 said:

Is there an animal that does something really disgusting to itself to ward off/turn off predators? Like maybe it defecates on itself or vomits ... Something like that?

Click to expand...

When I went to World of Owls (most amazing place ever) they have big sings that warn you about eh vultures. they apparently will vomit on you as a first line of defense.

Not really a defense mechanism, but gorillas have a tendency to throw feces when annoyed.

Some species of Avicularia tarantulas (tree spiders) are known to spray feces in defense. They can aim their abdomen in the direction of the annoyance and spray out a jet of spider poop. It looks like white out correction fluid.
Though gross, and certainly startling, it has no perceptible odor (not that I could tell anyway). I don't know if this is documented in the wild, but it is a phenomenon well known to keepers.

Since most Avicularia don't flick their urticating hair the same way their New World terrestrial relatives do, I guess this gives them an advantage on distance before they run or leap away.

I've been sprayed on by both my Avicularia versicolor, and Avicularia metallica. When that butt comes up, I make sure my face isn't too close.


Also, some species of snakes can "musk" you. If you pick them up, they will secrete a very nasty smelling musk. Garter snakes are especially well known for this. From first hand experience, it stinks.

Ladybirds deposit yellow spots on you if you annoy them. I think it might be something offensive to predators, but it doesn't seem worrisome to humans.

veinglory said:

The sea cucumber ejects part if its inner organs for the predator to eat while it escapes.

Click to expand...

I believe it does that because the innards are incredibly sticky and caustic and gets tangled in the predators face and jaws. Although it might depend on the species. Seems to be some misconceptions about this and I could be the wrong one.

The hagfish excretes a very thick mucous that chokes a would-be predator. There are plenty of amazing videos. A single scrape of its slime added to a bucket of water can turn that into a gelatinous blob.
Hagfish Slime

As far as animals defecating on themselves in defense, I have never heard of this (organismal biology bachelors here). However, it is not unheard of that animals defecate on a kill after eating their share, or to prevent a scavenger from stealing the food. It is not defensive, but a more of a middle finger to any scavengers that are about to succeed in driving them away from their kill.

Octopi and squid can squirt a nasty tasting, temporarily blinding, and clouding ink into the water to escape. It's less disgusting to us, but probably yuck to a predatory fish or cetacean (whale/dolphin).

Bombadier beetles squirt boiling hot chemicals at a predator. It can be very painful and cause small, localized 3rd degree burns.

Some tarantulas flick their incredibly irritating abdominal hairs at the eyes of enemies.

Many, many animals - especially reptiles, pee on something they perceive as a threat. If grabbed in a mouth, suddenly urinating on the predators tongue is an effective and disgusting defense.

Many snakes excrete a musk that is incredibly nasty smelling, when threatened.

And there are less disgusting defenses as well. Many people don't realize that there are poisonous mammals. The Cuban Solenedon and male Platypus are interesting examples.

I have nothing to add except that this thread has officially creeped me out. There are some crazy animals out there...and I'm slightly disturbed by how much AW-ers know about them - haha!

Yeah, my first thought after reading the opening question was 'Hm, probably quite a lot...' And then to read the list of accumulated answers. Yes, there are some crazy animals out there for sure.

Any Canadians heaing that pesky Larry Gowan song in their heads right now?

Haha. love this thread, but have nothing to contribute.
(somewhat related: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation is great if you're looking for weird-and-wonderful info on animal sex...)

And I can't believe I forgot this one. Some storm petrels (a type of bird), projectile vomit at potential threats. Normally this is the young's only defense against predators.

Llamas also spit. Nasty stuff, and they're pretty damn accurate.

Um, not sure how disgusting it is, but electric shocks are effective -- so, electric eels.

Gannet chicks will projectile-vomit on anything that disturbs their nest, because they can't fly away yet.

Anaximander said:

Gannet chicks will projectile-vomit on anything that disturbs their nest, because they can't fly away yet.

Click to expand...

"I don't like the gannet. They wet their nests." <--Gratuitous Python reference, sorry.

Everyone, as you were!

The red lily beetle larva covers its sticky, nasty body with its sticky, nasty feces so nothing will eat it.

Here's the lovely link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_lily_beetle

Goats. Billies will pee all over themselves, rub it into their faces and shoulders really well. It's not just to make themselves sexy. Goat herds are matriarchal. The head nanny leads the herd to the best grazing areas, the kids travel in the middle along with middle ranking nannies, expendable low ranking billies flank the sides, and the very last goat bringing up the rear is the big billy goat gruff. Most predators creep along behind herd animals and try to pick off a weak straggler. When the last in line is the biggest, baddest, strongest billy goat and he reeks of rancid urine... not so appetizing. The billies I've been around were eye-wateringly bad, so I can only imagine the effect they'd have on a wolf's nose.

Creepy critters

Good thread. One of the creepiest I've ever encountered is an academy award actor:

The harmless western U.S. hog-nose (false puff adder) will present itself with expanded neck like a cobra when threatened, rustling and writhing its tail like a rattler. It feigns striking, but hardly ever bites to prevent injury to its soft, toothless mouth.

If its bluff is seriously called, it changes defense tactics to roll belly-up, tongue out, and emit a foul, three-day-dead odor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodon

Chase said:

Good thread. One of the creepiest I've ever encountered is an academy award actor:

The harmless western U.S. hog-nose (false puff adder) will present itself with expanded neck like a cobra when threatened, rustling and writhing its tail like a rattler. It feigns striking, but hardly ever bites to prevent injury to its soft, toothless mouth.

If its bluff is seriously called, it changes defense tactics to roll belly-up, tongue out, and emit a foul, three-day-dead odor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodon

Click to expand...

Opossums play dead, and it's not like they're sleeping. They turn themselves into a sick, rotting carcass to seriously make themselves unappetizing. From wikipedia:
"When "playing possum", the animal's lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes, close or half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands."

It's not even a conscious thing they do; it's as involuntary as fainting. So bizarre.