The 10 strangest animal survival tactics

Certain creatures on this earth were born without anything that could be used as a weapon to defend themselves. Bears and lions are known as dangerous because they are big, strong, and have huge claws and sharp teeth, making them an obvious threat, but for most creatures something as simple as developing claws is a distant dream and so they have to get creative. Here are some of the strangest and most disgusting survival tactics of some of the creatures we share this planet with.

The Carrier crab

(A carrier crab with a kidnapped sea urchin. If you see a picture of this urchin on the side of a milk carton then don’t worry, it has already been returned back to its family)

This type of crab has small claws similar to a spider crab and on their own, they make easy prey for anything that enjoys a crab dinner, so to protect themselves they often look for “help”. This help comes in the form of kidnapping another sea creature and putting it on their back, such as an urchin or jellyfish which it will then hold on to until they feel the threat has gone. One interesting thing is that no one knows exactly how they get hold of a jellyfish in the first place and manage to turn it upside down, but numerous pictures have been taken of them running around with one on their backs.

Pygmy Sperm Whales

These tiny whales grow up to just over 4 meters and are often the targets of sharks. When they sense danger their chosen method of survival is to escape, but before they do this they excrete a kind of anal syrup that they fan around the water to create a thick black screen they use as cover to make their escape.

Bombardier Beetles

These insects have two chambers within their bodies that contain two different chemicals, and when threatened they mix these chemicals and spray them out their back end. The temperature of these chemicals is close to boiling water and hot enough to send any predator running for the hills. The only reason these insects can survive with these chemicals in their bodies is because they are kept in separate chambers and don’t produce heat until they are mixed together, which only happens when the insect chooses to spray them out.

Sea Cucumbers

One of the most defenseless-looking creatures on the planet, the sea cucumber holds the record for the most disgusting defense tactic possible. When they are threatened, they expel their internal organs out of their anus in an attempt to scare and confuse their attackers. In some species, the organs are covered in toxins that can injure or even kill their attackers if eaten, but as damaging as this seems it isn’t harmful to the sea cucumber which can either suck the organs back in or regenerate them over the next few weeks.

Hagfish

These eel-like fish are one of the oldest unchanged animals in our oceans and have been around for an estimated 300 million years. When bitten, the hagfish will rapidly produce a thick slim that chokes the gills of its attacker and gives it the choice of letting go or suffocating.

Horned lizards

Shooting blood out of your eyes may not seem like a good way to protect yourself, but it has served the horned lizard well for a long time. They can redirect the blood flow in their bodies to their eyes and can use muscles to further increase the pressure of the blood coming out, giving them a range of up to 4 feet. The blood isn’t toxic but normally works by simply confusing or scaring their attackers away.

Hairy frogs

The strands on the sides of their bodies are actually thin strips of skin and help the frog to take in more oxygen, but their defense mechanism comes in a more disturbing form. They have the ability to break their feet and push the protruding bones through their skin to be used as very sharp claws. They then fight like crazed animals until they are either dead or the threat has left. What happens afterward is unclear, but it’s believed the bones go back into place when they relax their muscles and a short healing process puts everything back to normal.

Exploding ants

Native to Malaysia, this type of ant holds a mixture of toxins in their abdomens, but they don’t have any practical way of delivering it. When the colony is threatened, the ants rush to their attackers and climb onto them before tightening their muscles so much that it causes their bodies to explode, releasing the mixture of toxins that cause burns to their attackers.

Boxer crab

Another type of crab that likes to kidnap other sea creatures and use them for defense, but this time they simply hold them in their claws. They normally pick up some kind of stinging urchin and hold them like little pom-poms, waving them in the direction of whatever it is that’s attacking them. The urchins benefit from this arrangement as they cover more ground which gives them access to more food.

Iberian Ribbed Newt

Pushing your ribcage through the side of your chest may not seem like a practical way to defend yourself, but it has served the Iberian Ribbed Newt well for a long time. Their ribs are very flexible and end in sharp points, and after being pushed through the side of their skin, they get covered in a toxin strong enough to kill small predatory animals like birds or snakes.

So there you have it, next time you feel in danger, fart your internal organs at your attacker while pushing as many of your bones through your skin as possible to use as weapons. It’s not guaranteed you’ll survive this but I promise you that any would-be mugger will run away in terror, so at least you’ll die with all your possessions.