![]() Teeth: Baboons, mice, squirrels, rats, wolves, and woodchucks use their teeth as both defensive and offensive weapons. Tails: Lizards use their tails to hit their enemies or knock them over. A few of the many stinging animals are the bee, jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war, sea urchin, and wasp. Stings: A sting pierces, hurts, and sometimes poisons the victim. The spitting cobra spits its venom (poison) into the eyes of its enemy. The jawfish spits pebbles from its mouth to defend itself. Spitting: The archer fish spits water from a “blowgun” in the roof of its mouth to capture the bugs it eats. Shocks: The electric catfish, electric eel, and electric ray all use electric shock to paralyze or damage their victims. The spines of some fish like the stone fish and scorpion fish are poisonous. Coral snakes and cottonmouth snakes are poisonous. Poison: Many animals have poison glands, such as toads, moths, snakes, and spiders. Some others are bedbugs, cockroaches, earwigs, foxes, mink, snakes, weasels, and wolverines. Odor: Skunks aren't the only animals to use scent glands for defense. Horns: Goats, sheep, and water buffalo use their horns to fight in the same way that deer use their antlers. Elephants, cottontail rabbits, and kangaroos also use their feet to fight. A South American lizard squirts blood from its eyes to repel enemies.įeet: A large bird, like the ostrich, has a powerful kick. The sea cucumber squirts its insides out to defend itself! (It then grows a new stomach.)Įxplosions: Self-sacrificing ants explode in the face of the enemy to save their colony. The tongue then takes the food from the bill and passes it back into the mouth.Claws: Bears, owls, and tigers are some of the animals who use their sharp claws to fight as well as to catch prey.Įjection: Both cuttlefish and squid eject black inky fluid that helps them hide from predators. The platypus uses its bill to dig for food in the mud and then sweeps the bill from side to side to bring the food towards the tongue. The tongue is used to collect food from the bottom of streams and rivers. The platypus tongue is long, narrow, and covered in soft, spiny skin. The platypus does have a tongue, but it is not like a typical mammal tongue. This essentially makes it impossible for a platypus to grasp objects such as a tree branch, which would be necssary to jump. It has no claws or nails on its front feet, which are webbed to assist in swimming. Instead, they lay eggs that hatch into small, defenseless babies. Unlike most mammals, platypuses do not give birth to live young. Platypuses have an extraordinary ability to sense electricity, which they use to help them find food.ģ. Platypuses give sharks a run for their money – at least as far as electroreception is concerned. They have a spur on their hind leg that can deliver a poisonous sting.Ģ. What Are 3 Interesting Facts About Platypus?ġ. The venom is incredibly painful and can cause paralysis, so it gives the male platypus an advantage when competing for mates. When the platypus feels threatened or wats to assert dominance, it will swing its hind leg and puncture the skin of its opponent with the spur, injecting the venom. The venom is produced in the crural gland, which is a modified sweat gland, and is stored in the spurs on the hind legs. Male platypus have venom because it is a way for them to compete with rivals during breeding season. ![]() The venom is capable of causing significant pain and swelling, and in some cases can even be fatal. When the platypus feels threatened, it will swing its hind legs forward and deliver a dose of venom to its attacker. The venom is produced in glands located on the dorsocaudal (back) side of the pelvic area, and the ducts that connect these glands to the spurs are lined with a keratinous material. The platypus has venomous spurs on its hind legs. Their venom is incredibly painful, but there has nevr been a documented human fatality from a platypus sting. These eggs contain high levels of mercury, which can be toxic to humans. You would need a whole bunch of them to make a meal! Additionally, platypus eggs are not safe for human consumption. These eggs are incredibly small, measuring only about ½ inch in diameter. Chlamydia is a bacteria that can cause serious health problems in koalas, including blindness, infertility, and death. This is because the koala population is built around one main bloodline and very little genetic diversity, which makes them more susceptible to disease. Yes, it is true that koalas have chlamydia. The milk also contains antibodies that can help to protect againt disease. Platypus milk contains high levels of protein, fat, and minerals, making it an excellent source of nutrition for both humans and animals. In fact, it is quite nutritious and might even be considered a health food.
1 Comment
|