How animals attack and defence?

ATTACK AND DEFENCE

Many animals are hunters that prey on other animals. Catching and killing fast-moving prey is hard, so over time hunters have evolved features and tactics to make the job easier. This has made survival harder for the animals that they hunt, so many have evolved defenses that make them difficult, or even dangerous, to catch.

NIGHT HUNTER Insect-eating bats target their prey using pulses of high-pitched sound. The sounds bounce off the victim, creating a sound image that enables a bat to hunt flying insects in total darkness.

DRIFTING TRAP The long tentacles of the box jellyfish are armed with thousands of tiny stinging cells. The animal simply drifts with the currents and devours any creature that is unlucky enough to come into contact with its tentacles.

AMBUSH The praying mantis lurks motionless on a plant, waiting for another insect to come within range. Then it shoots out its spiny front limbs to catch its victim, and eats it alive.

TEAMWORK Lions are equipped with dagger-like teeth and long claws, but their main weapon is teamwork. They encircle their prey so there is no escape.

CONSTRICTOR A python coils around its prey, squeezing a little tighter every time the victim breathes out, until eventually it cannot breathe at all. A snake’s lower jaws are loosely linked to its skull, so it can swallow its prey whole.

VENOM AND CLAWS Many animals have venomous bites or stings that they can use to kill their prey and to defend themselves. A scorpion normally uses its claws to hunt, and the sting on the end of its tail for defence.

POISON GLANDS If attacked by a hunter, a toad defends itself by inflating its body with air and oozing poisons from its skin. This makes it hard to eat and also makes it taste unpleasant, so its enemy is likely to leave it alone.

SPINES Some animals have defensive armour. Others, like this porcupine, bristle with long, sharp spines. This can make them almost impossible to attack, and even dangerous to animals that try.

NOXIOUS SMELL Skunks are notorious for the vile-smelling fluid that they spray from scent glands under their tails if attacked. They can aim accurately for up to 2 m (6.5 ft), often targeting the faces of their enemies.

CAMOUFLAGE The best defence is to avoid being noticed at all. Camouflage makes animals hard to see against their background. The mountain hare turns white in winter to match the snow.

PLAYING DEAD Many hunters will only eat prey that they have killed themselves. Some animals like this opossum take advantage of this by “playing dead” if threatened. An opossum may keep up the pretence for six hours!

SAFETY IN NUMBERS Solitary animals make easy targets, so many try to confuse their enemies by living in dense shoals, flocks, or herds. By staying close together, this shoal looks like one big fish rather than lots of little ones.

Picture Credit : Google

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