From camouflaged creatures to the most unique features in the animal kingdom, these animal adaptations are stunning! Let's take a look at the most effective animal defense systems. Support our Patreon today:
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Number 9 Pufferfish Toxins
The pufferfish is highly maneuverable, as it moves by combining its dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins. It’s also quite slow, which would make it an easy target for predators. One of its behaviors involves filling its very elastic stomach with air or water, achieving an almost spherical shape that’s considerably larger in size.
Number 8 Cheetah's acceleration
There’s an argument that running is often the best thing to do. When it comes to land animals, no other creature is capable of the cheetah’s acceleration or top speed. However, cheetahs share their environment with other felines, which are bigger and stronger, such as lions and leopards. Unlike other big cats, cheetahs have a lighter and more streamlined body. A cheetah’s acceleration is nothing short of mind-blowing as it can go from 0 to 47 miles per hour in just under two seconds. It’s without a doubt the fastest land animal, having been clocked at over 70 miles per hour. Its strides while galloping are also remarkable, as they can cover an average 22 feet. While it’s a phenomenal sprinter, the cheetah, like many other animals, tends to fall short when it comes to long-distance running.
Number 7 Skunk’s Spray
Skunks are generally regarded as foul-smelling creatures and that’s due to their defensive behavior. By contracting the muscles next to the glands, the skunk can spray, with great accuracy, for up to ten feet. The spray is strong enough to ward off bears and other large animals. It can be detected by a human nose from up to 3.5 miles downwind. It’s a highly-efficient mechanism but one that the skunk is reluctant to use. The chemical that the glands produce only lasts the skunks for about five to six charges. It takes about ten days to replenish the supply.
Quiz Question
Before we move on, answer this question. Which of these animals is the skunk’s only known regular predator? Is it:
The honey badger
The grey wolf
The red fox
The great horned owl
Let us know what you think in the comment section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer.
Number 6 Electric Eel
Although it’s commonly known as the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus is actually a knifefish. Almost its entire body consists of pairs of abdominal organs that can produce electricity. These specialized organs are made up of modified muscles or nerve cells, capable of generating strong bioelectric fields. For about two milliseconds it can carry up to 1 ampere of current and 860 volts.
Number 5 Armadillo
While the underside of an armadillo’s body is covered in fur and soft skin, the upper side is covered in plates. Most species have rigid shields over their hips and shoulders, in bands separated by flexible skin. The tail, upper limbs and the top of it’s head are also covered. Some species roll into a ball whenever they feel threatened. The giant armadillo, which is the largest species, can’t fully roll into a ball because of its size. It does, however, possess huge front claws, which are proportionately the largest in the animal kingdom and it uses its claws to dig burrows and to rip into termite mounds.
Number 4 Cyanide Millipede
The cyanide millipede’s dark-colored body, contrasted by yellow at the tips of its keels, serves as a warning to would-be predators. This is known as aposematic coloration and there are a number of other animals, like frogs or snakes, which display these colors.
Number 3 Bombardier Beetle Blast
The beetles will usually turn its body to direct the jet at its predator, with remarkable accuracy. The evolutionary specifics of the beetle’s defense mechanism aren’t fully understood by science. Creationists have often cited the bombardier beetle as proof of intelligent design while ancient astronaut theorists have argued that it’s an example of alien engineering.
Number 2 Wolverine Frog
This Central African frog species is capable of things that are straight out of a comic book and rather unique in the animal kingdom. Trichobatrachus robustus is also known as the hairy frog, because breeding male has hair-like structures on its thighs and flanks. These structures contain arteries and they‘re believed to aid the frog in absorbing more oxygen when it’s out of the water. The species is also commonly referred to as the Wolverine frog, after the character from the X-Men.
Number 1 Asian Cobra
The Asian Cobra is found throughout most of the Indian subcontinent. It’s also known as the spectacled cobra, because it often has hood markings in the form of two false eyes connected by a curved line. The average yield is between 160 and 250 milligrams.
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