How animals protect themselves from enemies, interesting ways of protection. Ways to protect against predators

Many representatives of the animal world of our planet are endowed with completely unusual ways of protection. This is the purposeful structure of the body, and defensive behavior, which provides security to a living being, and passive-defensive reactions (such as the use of protective coloring and shape).

Sometimes nature clearly warns that you have met a dangerous creature, but sometimes quite peaceful in appearance, inconspicuous creatures can cause a lot of trouble by using their secret weapons hidden for the time being.

The most interesting way of self-defense is used by the brachinus bug living in Africa, which is otherwise called the scorer.

This creature is capable of accurately dousing the enemy with a jet of burning liquid, which has the temperature of boiling water and the composition corresponding to that used in binary chemical weapons.

In appearance, the brachinus is completely harmless. Nature did not endow the bug with any marks testifying to its extraordinary abilities and the fact that it emits an “explosive mixture” not once, but with powerful rapid-fire volleys. Therefore, many insectivores, when meeting with this creature, strive to immediately include it in their menu.

Only already lying on the ground with bulging eyes and burnt oral mucosa, the predator realizes that he was wrong and made a mistake with the choice of “dish”. In the future, the aggressor will prefer to bypass the literally explosive beetle by the tenth road. The brachinus also obtains food for itself by an original method: it shoots drops of liquid from the abdomen, with which, like artillery shells, it knocks down flies.

Scientists call this insect a direct challenge to the theory of evolution. A real "chemical laboratory" works in his body. An explosive mixture - hydroquinone (aka the substrate of respiration) and a 25% solution of hydrogen peroxide - is produced by a special pair of glands. Both substances enter the storage bag with a valve and an opening muscle.

The third additional gland produces a special respiratory enzyme-catalyst hydroquinone oxidase, which is necessary for the components stored in the storage bag to enter into an oxidation reaction. The enzyme is contained in a so-called reactor chamber lined with fabrics very similar in properties to asbestos.

At the moment when the situation requires decisive action from the insect, the contents of the storage bag are thrown into the chamber and ... the substance immediately boiled up with a noise that resembles a shot from a scarecrow, flies out of the posterior end of the insect's abdomen and turns into a small puff of caustic "smoke".

So, shooting back from the ground beetle, the brachinus releases 12-15 "chemical volleys" with an insignificant interval. And in the event of a collision with a more dangerous enemy, the beetle is capable of delivering from 500 to 1000 emissions per second! Such "shelling" leaves serious burns on the attacker's body.

By the way, scientists are convinced that such an original and effective apparatus of attack and defense did not “develop gradually” in the process of evolution (the first insects that decided to play with fire would have died before they had time to improve this weapon), but was part of the beetle’s body from the moment it appeared of this type. So, evolution has nothing to do with it, and there is Someone who provided a harmless and defenseless creature with a flamethrower? Perhaps, as always, we missed something in the structure of the universe.

The field horse beetle also has the ability to actively protect its life. This insect at the moment of danger prefers to simply run away to hell. At the same time, the baby not only flies fast, but also runs great. For a predator to catch such a sprinter lunch is not too much pleasure. Moreover, it is practically impossible to achieve a positive result of hunting in this case. But if the field horse can be caught, this will not bring joy either.

The beetle will begin to violently break out and bite furiously. The crescent-shaped powerful jaws of an insect can cause trouble even to humans, not to mention other representatives of the fauna! Medvedka behaves in a similar way in critical situations. But the earwig does not try to run. Instead, she takes on a menacing look and raises the ends of impressive pincers above her head. By the way, they are so strong that they pierce the skin of a person to the point of blood.

Many insects, to intimidate predators and for hunting, prefer to use poisons - secretions of special glands that can scare away, paralyze or kill the enemy. Wasps, bees, bumblebees and ants are familiar to everyone. These creatures received from nature as a gift special stings for injecting poison.

True, in the honey bee it is jagged and therefore gets stuck in the body of the attacker; the bee dies. So in this case, we can talk not about individual, but about social protection, which develops a persistent reflex in those around us in relation to a whole species of insects. But a wasp can easily sting many times in its life. And to remind you that you have a poisonous creature in front of you, nature has endowed bees and wasps with a special, warning color.

As for ants, representatives of some species of these insects not only pour formic acid on the enemy, but also add a mixture of two complex chemical compounds to the caustic “cocktail”.

They are specially synthesized in the body of an insect and have a pleasant smell of lemon.

This mixture is poisonous in itself, besides, it promotes the penetration of formic acid through the outer integument of the animal. Interestingly, in the "chemical laboratory" of a small aggressor, not only "weapons" are created, but also many protective substances. Some of them can cope with the pathogens of cholera, tuberculosis and typhoid!

The ant does not have to bite the enemy at all. Many hit the enemy at a decent distance, spraying a poisonous mixture. For example, worker ants from the furmicin subfamily are able to “shoot” an aggressor who is half a meter away from them! This distance is 500 times the length of the body of the warrior insect itself.

With the help of poison, leaf beetles also protect themselves. They release a yellow-orange liquid with a pungent odor through the joints of their body. A microscopic dose of this substance, getting into the blood, kills a small animal. Larger enemies of the leaf beetle have big health problems, so that in case of recovery, the reflex to the "inedible" beetle is developed persistent.

Biologists had to observe how a toad or a lizard, accidentally grabbing this insect, try to spit it out as soon as possible, and then wipe their tongues and muzzles for a long time and carefully on various objects and plants.

Skolopendra are also seriously "armed". Poison centipedes living in Africa, according to eyewitnesses, reach 47 centimeters in length. But we can reliably speak only about 5-30-centimeter specimens. Usually these creatures sit in the ground or under a stone in anticipation of prey - spiders, worms, cockroaches.

The centipede's venom also kills frogs and lizards that inadvertently tried to eat centipedes. But the mouse already has a chance to survive. A person after a scolopendra bite feels general malaise, pain and fever. A serious threat to children is posed only by giant individuals that dig into the neck with poisonous jaws.

Bug bugs, despite their small size, are very dangerous. Their poison is so strong that even large domestic animals, having eaten this crumb along with the grass, often die.

In the old days, pharmacists used dried abscesses to make an abscess patch.

Poisonous foam protects some wingless grasshoppers. In case of danger, foam begins to climb from their mouth and breast with a whistling hiss - a mixture of quinine, air bubbles and phenol. The cicada larvae do the same. But sawfly larvae have even more original "weapons" against aggressors.

Feeding on needles, they collect tree resin in special bags associated with the intestines. In a moment of danger, the caterpillar allocates a piece of the "strategic reserve", inflates it and shoots at the enemy. The sticky substance glues the legs of the ants and makes the birds lose interest in such a "nervous" prey.

In addition to poison, predators can also be scared away by the smell. And not any, but especially unpleasant. In the "arsenal" of many insects there are special glands responsible for the formation of a secret that emits a rare stench and leaves the enemy with long memories of the meeting.

To scare away enemies, insects often use some behavioral techniques. For example, the Apollo butterfly, in case of extreme danger, falls to the ground, begins to cross its legs and hiss menacingly. At the same time, she strenuously spreads her wings, on which there is a sign notifying the attacker that the insect is poisonous - bright red spots.

But the praying mantis, if necessary, rises, assumes a threatening pose, spreads its hind wings, begins to creak with its abdomen and click with grasping legs. After that, there are few people who want to get acquainted with the main "argument" of the praying mantis - its jaws. Defensive postures (often combined with a frightening odor or poison) are also widely used by various caterpillars.

Marine inhabitants also know how to defend themselves from an attack. Many of them are extremely poisonous. Needles, skin, mucus, special stinging threads, unexpectedly sharp “scalpels” filled with poisons that make even the famous curare pale in front of them - all this “arsenal” of a number of representatives of the sea people is dangerous not only for animals, but also for humans. And the electric stingray is quite capable, if not to kill, then to stun its victim. As for the electric eel, it’s better not to meet such a “living power plant”!

Unlike other "armed" inhabitants of the sea, the octopus is quite an intelligent creature. He does not try to stun the enemy with a current or treat him with a horse dose of poison. If a cephalopod encounters danger, it prefers to… evaporate by releasing a dark cloud. The ink-like liquid, which the octopus “shoots out of a special bag, quickly spreads into a dirty fog, hiding the escape route of the marine life.

True, there is no rule without exceptions. An extremely cute, but malicious, tiny ringed octopus, a resident of the Indian Ocean, can cause the death of a person. Its poison, injected with a sharp "beak", in a matter of seconds causes paralysis of the heart muscle.

Snakes are a separate article. Many of the reptiles are dangerous because of their poison. At the same time, there are individuals that can cause major trouble or even kill both with a bite and ... spitting! But among the poisonous creatures, the famous black mamba stands out, "from the bite of which a person dies five minutes before the bite."

Believe me, this is just the case when there is only a fraction of a joke in a joke ... And non-poisonous individuals - by the way, the vast majority of them - use serious muscle strength to attack, which allows the snake to strangle its prey. "Secret weapons" are also endowed with some lizards and members of the spider family, such as the notorious "black widow", crosses, tarantulas and scorpions.

In mammals, too, you can find unusual ways of self-defense.

The mammals of the skunk family are probably best known for their way of protecting themselves from predators. Skunks usually do not try to hide from enemies. Instead, the animal first raises its fluffy tail and sometimes stamps its paws on the ground.

If the warning does not help, the skunk will turn its back on the enemy and "shoot" at him with an oily yellowish liquid, usually aiming at his eyes. Some skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are able to hit the enemy from a distance of more than 6 m.

This liquid is the secret of two glands located to the right and left of the anus of the skunk, and is a mixture of sulfur-containing organic substances (methane and butaniols (mercaptans)), which have an exceptionally strong, persistent and unpleasant odor. The muscles surrounding the mouths of the glands make it possible to accurately shoot the secret at a distance of 2-3 m. The main component of the skunk "jet" - butylselenomercaptan (C4H9SeH) - can be determined even in the amount of 0.000000000002 g.

If it gets into the eyes, this liquid causes a burning sensation and even temporary blindness. However, the glands of a skunk contain liquid for only 5-6 "charges", and it takes about 10 days to restore them, so the skunk spends the "charges" reluctantly, preferring to scare away potential predators with its contrasting coloring and threatening postures. As a rule, skunks are attacked by young predators who are unfamiliar with their method of protection. The exception is the virgin eagle owl, which hunts skunks systematically.

The smell of a skunk is so persistent that the spoiled clothes, as a rule, have to be burned. Folk remedies like tomato juice, vinegar or gasoline do not eliminate the smell, but only mask it. Dry cleaners use hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to combat it.

The platypus is one of the few venomous mammals (along with some shrews and flint teeth that have toxic saliva, as well as slow lorises, the only genus of known venomous primates).

Young platypuses of both sexes have rudiments of horn spurs on their hind legs. In females, by the age of one year, they disappear, while in males they continue to grow, reaching 1.2-1.5 cm in length by the time of puberty. Each spur is connected by a duct to the femoral gland, which during the mating season produces a complex "cocktail" of poisons.

Males use spurs during courtship fights. Platypus venom can kill a dingo or other small animal. For a person, it is generally not fatal, but it causes very severe pain, and edema develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb. Pain (hyperalgesia) can last for many days or even months.

Other oviparous - echidnas - also have rudimentary spurs on their hind legs, but they are not developed and are not poisonous.

Slow lorises are the only known genus of venomous primates and one of only seven known venomous mammals. The poison is secreted by glands on the forelimbs.

Mixed with saliva, the venom is either smeared over the head to scare off predators, or held in the mouth, allowing the loris to bite especially painfully. The poison of slow loris can cause suffocation and death not only in small animals, but even in humans.

So, many of our "smaller brothers" own a whole arsenal of sometimes very unexpected means of defense and attack. In this way, nature made life easier for them and forced larger predators to respect the little "warriors".

Almost all animals, with the exception of some large predators, are forced to constantly beware of enemies. Even the slightest carelessness can lead to their death. In this regard, some animals have developed special protective "weapons", such as needles, claws and pincers, which they can use in case of danger.

Others unite in groups, packs or herds, which allows them, in case of danger, to act like one big living organism, before which the enemy retreats. Some animals use "chemical" weapons for protection - they emit, for example, strong-smelling substances, warning their relatives of the danger.

Group security

Starlings, gathering in huge flocks and maneuvering in flight, make a frightening impression. Many predators take the flock for a huge animal and do not dare to attack it.

scorpion sting

There are more than 1500 species of scorpions similar in structure. Each of them has eight legs and two large claws on the front of their elongated torso. With these claws, the scorpion grabs the victim and tears it apart. A dangerous sting at the end of a scorpion's tail protects it from attack by enemies.

prickly ball

Almost everyone in Europe is familiar with such a forest dweller as a hedgehog. It can also be found in gardens and parks. This friendly creature has an excellent defense weapon. In case of danger, it curls up into a ball, hiding a delicate abdomen and exposing thorns. And if the enemy does not retreat, he will receive a rather painful lesson.

escape flight

Impalas (antelopes of the bovid family) graze in herds. With their sensitive ears, they constantly listen to see if a predator is approaching them. In case of danger, they can only quickly run away, but before doing this, the first of them make a huge jump, clearly visible to the rest of the animals. In addition, they have a special gland at the back, which, at the moment of danger, releases a strong-smelling substance, which, like jumping, is a warning to the entire herd.

Owl

This young long-eared owl has already learned to ruffle its feathers in case of danger so that it looks much larger and more terrible than it actually is. Only in this way can she scare off many of her enemies.

schools of fish

The smallest fish prefer to huddle in dense schools or schools that move like one big living organism, and such an accumulation confuses the attackers, who can no longer notice and grab an individual fish.

By birth, every animal received the right to life. And it fights for this right in every possible way. In the struggle for survival, animals have acquired a striking variety of protective adaptations and have developed certain stereotypes of protective behavior.

Sensing danger, animals first of all try to run away, hide, hide in bushes or a hole. Fleeing from pursuers, they develop record speeds. An ordinary hare can run at a speed of 70 km per hour, and saigas, gazelles and antelopes and even more - about 80 km per hour. While running, animals can make long jumps. A frightened roe deer jumps five to six meters in length, and an impala antelope takes off to a height of three meters from the ground and flies ten to eleven meters in length in one jump. The powerful thigh muscles and long, slender legs of these animals are an excellent combination that allows you to run fast and jump far.

Fox cubs near the hole

To confuse their enemy, animals go to all sorts of tricks. Many hunters are familiar with the cunning of the fox, she hides in her hole and, when the hunter with dogs tries to fish her out of there, she quietly jumps out of another exit and safely leaves. The marsh wren sometimes builds more than a dozen false nests to ward off predators from the carefully hidden real nest. The Cayenne swift builds a nest in the form of a tube. The owner enters the nest through a hole from below, and for uninvited guests he arranges a more noticeable entrance, which ends in a dead end and does not communicate with the “living area” of the bird.

Many animals are helped to protect themselves from enemies by their coloring and body shape. The animal instinctively finds the background that masks it, it has highly developed sense organs in order to detect danger in time and immediately become silent, stop its normal activity and either freeze, or, conversely, reproduce the natural movement of the objects surrounding it - swaying, swaying, etc.

Frightening sounds often help to escape from the obsession of enemies - growl, scream, squeal, squeak. The continuous buzzing of the wasp warns birds and animals that it has a sting. Rattlesnakes make characteristic rattling noises, and birds have a well-known "shout" response to perched predators such as hawks or owls. Birds fly quite close to them, emit loud cries and perform various kinds of demonstration actions.

Mantis

Most animals, once in the clutches of a predator, either scream or squeal. An inexperienced young hunter may even release his prey from an unexpected sound. In other cases, at the cry of the victim, fellow tribesmen may run to help and free their unfortunate brother. Sometimes the cry of the victim attracts another predator, and then both animals begin to sort things out, and the victim has a chance for salvation. Many animals, in case of danger, bite their offenders and often leave deep wounds “for memory” with them. A predator that has received a bite from its prey may throw it.

Various species of praying mantis, sitting motionless on trees and bushes, look exactly like twigs, leaves or flowers, so that even keen-eyed birds detect them with great difficulty. The Devil Praying Mantis looks like an orchid flower, on which he spends his entire life.

To scare away the enemy, many animals take various awesome poses. The praying mantis raises its elytra, exposing bright spots in the form of eyes on them, at the same time assuming an elaborate pose. Butterfly ocular cogwheels, when danger arises, spreads nondescript wings to the sides and shows bright hind wings, while rotating its abdomen. The caterpillar of a large harpy sharply throws up the front part of the body and raises long moving “tails”. The round-eared lizard spreads its legs wide, opens its mouth to the limit and stretches the parotid folds, which are filled with blood - all this creates the impression of a huge mouth. The frilled lizard, when approaching an enemy, suddenly, like an umbrella, opens the skin membrane located around the neck. The sudden appearance of a brightly colored collar surrounding a wide-baring mouth scares off many of her enemies. Warning behavior can be observed in birds when they ruffle their feathers, or in cats when they raise their hair on their necks to look more imposing and dangerous than they really are.

zherlyanka

Among the silt and grass, it is difficult to notice the red-bellied toad, painted dark green on top. But if, despite the protective coloration, the amphibian is discovered by the enemy, the toad assumes a kind of protective posture, in which separate sections of its bright red abdomen become visible. Having lifted its head up and at the same time turning its paws “inside out”, the toad demonstrates a warning color that was not visible before, informing the enemy about its poisonousness. If this is not enough, the toad turns over on its back and shows the enemy all of its bright belly.

Most frogs and toads are inconspicuous colors of greens, grays and browns. The turquoise-orange poison dart frog has a turquoise back and hind legs, and a bright orange “hood” on its head. The red and black poison dart frog is covered with wide alternating red and black stripes. The tomato frog is bright red, while the golden frog is bright yellow.

Animals with horns rarely use their formidable weapons to their full potential during conflicts with their fellow tribesmen. Even the tournament fights that males arrange during the mating season are often ritual in nature and very rarely end in bloodshed. Predators are another matter; a horned animal does not stand on ceremony with them. A simple display of horns is enough to put a predator to flight. Only a pack of predators can cope with such stags as elk or sika deer. Hooves are also a good tool for defense against enemies. With quick and strong blows of the hooves, an adult animal can even kill its offender. It is not uncommon for young, inexperienced wolves to die from the blow of a sika deer.

Stingray

For many animals, the only weapon of defense is the tail. An interesting fish lives in the Black Sea - a stingray, or sea cat, outwardly resembling a large frying pan with a handle-tail. At the base of the tail grows a long, flat, serrated along the edges and sharp as a sword spike. The attacked sea cat lashes furiously with its tail, inflicting deep wounds with a “sword”.

Fishermen, scuba divers and just swimmers often suffer from stingray injections. The stingrays practically do not use their weapons to attack. Accidents usually occur due to careless handling of fish or when a swimmer steps on a stingray lying on the bottom. Usually, after an injection with a stingray thorn, the victim develops a sharp, burning pain, then edema develops. Poisoning the body with poison is accompanied by weakness, sometimes with loss of consciousness, convulsions and respiratory failure. There are cases of death from stingray-stingray injections.

Over a long period of evolution, animals have developed chemical ways to protect themselves from enemies. Many insects have poisonous blood, or even the whole body, regardless of the plants they feed on. Such animals are usually painted in bright warning colors. Ladybugs, when frightened, secrete many droplets of bright yellow and rather strong-smelling blood. This odor is due to the presence of the chemical compound quinenone. A bird that grabs a ladybug and receives a dose of poison immediately releases it from its beak. The smell of quinenone, which is not poisonous in itself, but is an indicator of toxicity, the bird will remember for a lifetime.

The blood of ladybugs is used in folk medicine to treat carious teeth. Ladybugs are also used as biological weapons to fight aphids. One beetle eats up to 50 aphids per day.

This is used by some non-poisonous insects smelling of quinone. American sawfly larvae spray jets of caustic liquid through special holes located above the spiracles.

The larvae of the poplar and aspen leaf beetle, in case of danger, are covered with numerous droplets of unpleasantly smelling poisonous blood, and as soon as the danger has passed, they immediately draw it back.

Ladybug seven-spotted

There are many animals that "shoot" at the enemy with their secretions. These animals do not have a frightening coloration that could alert the attacker, and therefore the “shots” are unexpected and effective. Among insects, the inhabitants of the southern countries, the bombardier beetles, possess such an amazing “weapon”. When threatened, they release a liquid that instantly evaporates in air, turning into a cloud with a slight explosion. The beetle can make up to ten "shots" in a row, after which it needs rest to restore its "combat reserves". Such an unexpected "bombardment" forces the enemy to retreat.

Termite

Soldier termites do not have strong jaws. Instead, there is a frontal gland, the secret of which is sprayed through the coracoid outgrowth. During campaigns, soldiers are located on the sides of the column and direct their beaks outward.

The "commune" of termites arises like this. The female and the male dig a small chamber shallow underground. There they mate and the female lays her eggs. The termites emerging from the eggs become the first workers who begin to build a future impregnable structure above the ground. One generation of workers is replaced by another, and little by little a massive termite mound grows, accommodating over a million inhabitants.

In case of danger or attack on termites by ants, their enemies and competitors in the life arena, the beaked soldiers throw out trickles of a sticky and poisonous liquid. It hinders the movements of ants and poisons them. The number of soldiers in termites can reach up to half of all inhabitants of the termite mound.

Reliable weapons of self-defense have cephalopods - octopuses, squids and cuttlefish. They release an "ink bomb" towards the enemy - a liquid, a few drops of which are enough to muddy the water around and hide unnoticed. Some cephalopods and deep-sea shrimp escape predators by releasing a slime cloud of luminous bacteria and, under the cover of such a light curtain, escape from the enemy. For a long time it was believed that this substance plays only the role of a smoke screen. Chemical mist is now known to additionally numb the senses of smell in moray eels and other predatory fish chasing animals.

The spitting Indian cobra, the African black-necked cobra and the collared cobra defend themselves with a lightning-fast and accurate "shot" of poison in the eyes of the enemy. At the same time, the black-necked cobra can make up to twenty "shots" in a row.

Skunk

The skunk, a representative of the marten family living in North America, acts in a very original way with its enemies. He turns his back to the predator, raises his luxurious tail and shoots at the enemy with sticky and foul-smelling secretions of the anal glands. Amazed by this turn of events, the predator hurries away and never comes close to the skunk again. The smell of skunk secretions is extremely persistent and can last for almost a month on an enemy fired upon by them.

When it comes to some skunk's mind to walk along a busy highway, drivers slow down in horror. If the machine is subjected to a “chemical attack”, it will become impossible to use it for several months.

A defensive tactic for some animals is a posture of complete immobility, making them invisible to enemies. Seeing the enemy, the running hare, deer, squirrel, lizard freeze in place. Nocturnal birds such as bitterns and nightjars freeze for the day. This behavior is clearly expressed in solitary birds during the incubation period. The woodcock sitting on the nest at the moment of danger presses tightly to the ground and freezes. The concealing coloration and motionless pose make it completely invisible. Many animals, in order to disguise themselves and reduce their shadow, press tightly against the ground, tree bark or stone on which they sit. Diurnal butterflies fold their wings in such a way that they do not provide shade.

Opossum

There are animals that, at the moment of danger, feign death, fall into a state of stupor. This phenomenon is called catalepsy. A classic example of catalepsy is the behavior of the possum. Not being able to escape from the enemy in time, the animal falls on its side and becomes motionless, simulating death. The attacker, having sniffed the prostrate body, usually moves away, and after a while the opossum "comes to life" and flees. This behavior may not be pretense, but the animal's shock reaction to a critical situation. But it often saves the animal's life. When frightened, motley butterflies fall to the ground and lie motionless, beetles from the family of peanuts or pretenders “die”. Catalepsy is also characteristic of stick insects, who take a certain position and do not change it even with mechanical damage.

All marsupials live in Australia, and only a few species of opossum live in South America. Many millions of years ago, Australia and South America were connected by a land bridge. Part of this bridge was present-day Antarctica. Here, scientists in 1982 found the fossil remains of marsupials. This bridge was used by animals, being in another part of the world.

The pig-bearing snake very skillfully creates the impression of death. If the enemy detects it, a harmless non-venomous snake first of all tries to intimidate the enemy - it stretches its neck like a poisonous cobra, hisses loudly and sternly beats its tail from side to side. If threats do not help, the snake suddenly rolls over on its back, opens its mouth, and after two or three feigned convulsions remains completely motionless. The predator, not accustomed to eating carrion, believing in deceit, moves away.

pig snake

The flying dragon lizard has false ribs with a leathery membrane for flight. When the dragon is in a calm state, they are tightly pressed to the body. In case of danger, the lizard spreads them, forming a semblance of two wide semicircular wings, and rapidly glides over long distances that can reach 30 meters. In flight, decorated tree snakes also escape from attack. By spreading their ribs and retracting their belly, they flatten their body and fly to another tree or gently glide to the ground. It uses a gliding flight, escaping from enemies, and a tree frog, which has membranes between its long fingers. Spreading the fingers wide and stretching the membranes, the frog easily, as if on wings, plans down.

Lizard

The original defensive technique in animals is autotomy - the ability to instantly discard a certain part of the body at the moment of nervous irritation. This reaction is typical, for example, for lizards. When a predator grabs a lizard by the tail, it meekly leaves it to the enemy. The attacker grabs the convulsively writhing tail, and his mistress is in a hurry to get away as quickly as possible. After some time, the lizard grows a new tail, which, if necessary, can also be sacrificed by it in order to save life.

Sometimes the tail of a lizard breaks off partially, and a second tail grows next to it. And then you can observe the two-tailed lizard. In laboratory conditions, scientists received a multi-tailed lizard.

A similar phenomenon occurs in an arachnid haymaker caught by the leg. Autotomy in danger and some types of insects, such as grasshoppers, stick insects. Reflex self-injury is also found among aquatic animals. Crayfish or crabs caught by the claws break off their limbs, and in a strictly defined place. Octopuses donate tentacles. The torn off organs continue to move for some time: the discarded limbs contract, the tentacles and tails writhe, distracting the attacker's attention for a while. Thanks to this, the animals manage to escape.

Holothuria

In order to quickly escape from their many predators - crayfish, starfish and fish - the sea cucumber, or sea cucumber, at the moment of danger throws out its own digestive canal through the opening of the cloaca. With strong excitement, both the lungs and the sex glands can go into consumption. Thus, this animal gives its internal organs to the enemies. A predator that has satisfied its hunger with the organs of a holothurian torn from the body can leave the holothurian alone. After some time, her lost organs are completely restored, with which, in case of danger, she can easily part again.

Crab

For their safety, some species of animals build or adapt various portable shelters. So, hermit crabs, which have a soft abdomen that is not protected by a hard cover, hide it in an empty shell of a gastropod mollusk, which they constantly carry with them. Dorippe crabs put a shell flap on their back and run along the bottom with it, hiding behind it like a shield. Many insects, mostly larvae, build special portable houses-cases. Butterfly caterpillars of the family of bagworms and sheath-bearers line the case with thin dense silk, to which pieces of plants or mineral particles are attached from the outside. Caterpillars spend their whole lives in this case, moving with the help of their thoracic legs.

Often, for the sake of safety and procreation, animals unite in groups and act together against the enemy. Hundreds of eyes and ears help to quickly detect a predator, and the manner of scattering in all directions when a predator approaches, confuses it, prevents it from choosing a specific victim. And here the main thing for a predator is not to chase “two birds with one stone”.

Musk oxen, when attacked by wolves, form a circle in which calves and females are hidden, and males line up in an outer circle, exposing strong horns towards the enemy. Beavers beat the water with their tail, in this way notifying the rest of the colony about the approach of the enemy. In prairie dogs and some species of marmots and ground squirrels, in case of danger, each animal emits a piercing cry, warning neighbors to hide.

sea ​​urchins

Schools of fish formed as a way of protection. In case of danger, herring fish gather in flocks, and the anchovies huddle so tightly that they form a huge compact ball. On the surface of such a ball is the smallest number of fish that are in immediate danger. On a flat area of ​​the bottom, diadem sea urchins are located at a distance of the length of the needle from each other.

The injections inflicted by the needles of sea urchins are very painful. They are especially dangerous for divers, who, having received an unexpected painful injection, may lose consciousness. Tropical species of sea urchins producing sebaceous paralytic poisons are very dangerous.

The long, mobile and poisonous needles of diadems make such a group of animals inaccessible to many predators. Collective defense is found in birds. Together, rooks, gulls, swallows guard their nests, selflessly fighting against birds of prey and animals. Mass accumulation for the sake of protection is also characteristic of some small insects, for example, bright sawflies or soldier bugs. In the gathering, their warning coloration is more noticeable, which repels many insectivorous birds.

barn swallows

However, no matter how effective natural selection makes one or another method of defense, animals need not only to change it, but also to improve it, since predators are constantly developing new methods of mastering prey, improving, in turn, their sense organs and means of attack. The mongoose has learned to avoid the poisonous teeth of the cobra and to get the better of it with the help of swiftness and hunting skill alone. Bears and badgers have developed immunity to the stings of bees protecting their honeycombs. The cuttlefish has learned to get the shrimps hidden in the sand by knocking down the sand with a trickle of water.

The hard shells of mollusks do not guarantee their safety. Starfish are able to pull the valves in different directions with such force and for so long that they eventually open them. The sea otter, or sea otter, has adapted to break the strong shells of mollusks against a stone. The anteater copes with tough, communal termite shelters by breaking their walls with long, powerful claws.

In a word, the struggle for life continues.

A meeting with a natural enemy usually ends in the death of the animal, therefore, in the process of evolution, only individuals with effective methods of protection survived. How do animals protect themselves from enemies, what protective devices have they acquired in the struggle for survival?

Animals defend themselves in different ways. Some quickly run away, others skillfully hide or disguise themselves, others defend themselves. It all depends on the size of the animal, its lifestyle and the protection organs that Mother Nature has endowed it with. Below are the most interesting ways to protect.

How animals protect themselves by running away from enemies

The hare, running away, develops speed up to 70 km / h, but this is not a record. Saiga, gazelles and antelopes are able to run from danger at a speed of 80 km/h. Moreover, some animals are capable of making ultra-long jumps while running: for example, roe deer - up to six meters long, and impala antelope - up to 11 meters in length and up to 3 meters in height.

How animals protect themselves by hiding from enemies

A burrow is the most reliable shelter for an animal, but some animals, such as a fox or a beaver, “guessed” that it would be better if there were two exits from it, remote from each other. And the beaver has an entrance and exit to his "hut" generally under water.

The same applies to such seemingly open shelters as bird nests. So the cayenne swift builds a nest in the form of a tube. One hole in such a nest is a wide and noticeable, but dead-end “entrance” for “strangers”, and the second is a small and inconspicuous entrance for the swift itself.

How animals protect themselves by disguising themselves

The real masters of disguise are insects. So a praying mantis sitting on a bush or tree cannot be distinguished from a twig or a leaf even by the sharp eyes of birds. Some insects even imitate the vibration of plants from the wind with the movements of their body.

The color of the surface of the body of many animals coincides with the main colors of their usual habitat, it is, as they say, protective. It is for the purpose of camouflage that the seasonal molt of some animals living in the northern hemisphere, for example, hares, also occurs.

How do animals defend themselves by defending themselves?

Animals defend themselves with what they can: teeth, claws (wolves, cats, bears), horns, hooves (moose, deer), needles (hedgehogs, porcupines) and even tails (sea cat). But of particular interest are animals that use chemicals produced by their bodies to protect themselves.

An ordinary ladybug, when attacked or frightened, releases many droplets of an unpleasant-smelling bright yellow liquid called quinenone. Birds do not like the smell of quinenone, they take it for poison and, grabbing a ladybug, they immediately release it.

Southern bombardier beetles secrete a liquid during danger, which instantly evaporates in air with a slight “explosion”, forming a cloud. The beetle is able to do this “trick” several times in a row, and a series of such unexpected “explosions” very often scares off enemies.

Some types of cobras (spitting Indian, African black-necked and collared) defend themselves by sniping poison into the eyes of the enemy. Moreover, the black-necked cobra can do this operation up to twenty times in a row.

How does a skunk defend itself from enemies?

The legendary chemical defense animal is the North American skunk. Defensively, he turns his back to the attacker, raises his tail and waters the enemy with a very unpleasant-smelling secretion of the anal glands.

These secretions literally scare away the aggressor with their smell and, once on any surface, retain their smell for a very long time. For several months, North American motorists cannot wash cars that have fallen under the chemical attack of a skunk.

Some animals defend themselves from enemies by making a menacing appearance, leaving parts of their bodies in the paws of the attacker, or even pretending to be dead. There are many ways to protect, and their effectiveness may be evidenced by the fact that the representative of the fauna using them has not yet disappeared from the lists of the animal world of our planet.

In the process of evolution, animals have developed various physiological and behavioral mechanisms that allow them to better adapt to the environment. What adaptive features of the structure, color and behavior of animals exist? What do they depend on?

Adaptive behavior of animals

Behavior refers to actions aimed at interacting with the outside world. It is characteristic of all animal beings and is one of the main tools of adaptation. The principles of animal behavior can change under the influence of external and internal factors.

For the existence of organisms, all environmental factors are important - climate, soil, light, etc. Changes in at least one of them can affect their way of life. The adaptive features of animal behavior help them adapt to new conditions, which means they increase the chances of survival.

Even elementary forms of life are capable of responding to environmental stimuli. The simplest, for example, can move around to reduce the negative impact of any factor. In highly organized organisms, behavior is more complex.

They are able not only to perceive information, but also to remember and process it in order to use it in the future for self-preservation. These mechanisms are controlled by the nervous system. Some actions are inherent in animals from the very beginning, others are acquired in the process of learning and adaptation.

reproductive behavior

The reproduction of offspring is inherent in the nature of every living organism. Adaptive behavior is manifested during sexual reproduction, when animals need to find a partner, form a pair with him. With asexual reproduction, this need does not arise. Courtship is highly developed in higher organisms.

To win a partner, animals perform ritual dances, make various sounds, for example, screams, trills, singing. Such actions give the opposite sex a signal that the individual is ready for mating. Deer during the mating season emit a special roar, and when they meet with a potential rival, they arrange a fight. Whales touch each other with their fins, elephants stroke their trunks.

Adaptive behavior is also manifested in parental care, which increases the chances of young individuals for survival. It is mainly characteristic of vertebrates and consists in building a nest, incubating eggs, feeding and learning. Monogamy and strong pairings predominate in species where the young require long-term care.

Nutrition

Adaptive behavior associated with nutrition depends on the biological characteristics of the animal. Hunting is common. It is carried out with the help of surveillance (in squids), traps (in spiders) or simple waiting (in praying mantises).

To save effort and time, some species use theft. For example, cuckoo bees do not build their own hives, but boldly penetrate into strangers. They kill the queen, lay their larvae in the colony, which are fed by unsuspecting worker bees.

Coyotes have adapted by being omnivores. So they significantly expanded their habitat. They can live in desert, mountainous areas, even adapted to life near cities. Coyotes eat anything, up to carrion.

One way to adapt is to store food. Insects stock up to feed the larvae. For many rodents, this is part of the preparation for the bad season. Hamsters store about 15 kilograms of food for the winter.

Protection

Various defensive reactions of animals protect them from enemies. Adaptive behavior in this case can be expressed passively or actively. A passive reaction is manifested by hiding or fleeing. Some animals choose different tactics. They may pretend to be dead or freeze motionless in place.

Hares run away from danger, while confusing their tracks. Hedgehogs prefer to curl up in a ball, the turtle hides under the shell, the snail - in the shell. Species living in flocks or herds try to snuggle closer to each other. This makes it more difficult for a predator to attack an individual, and it is likely that he will abandon his intention.

Active behavior is characterized by a vivid demonstration of aggression to the enemy. A certain posture, the position of the ears, tail and other parts should warn that the individual should not be approached. For example, cats and dogs show fangs, hiss or growl at enemies.

public behavior

When animals interact with each other, adaptive behavior differs in different species. It depends on the characteristics of development and the way of life of an individual and is aimed at creating favorable living conditions and facilitating existence.

Ants team up to build anthills, beavers to build dams. Bees form hives, where each individual performs its role. Penguin cubs unite in groups and are under the supervision of adults while their parents hunt. Cohabitation of many species provides them with protection from predators and group defense in case of attack.

This includes territorial behavior, when animals mark their own possessions. Bears scratch the bark of trees, rub against them or leave tufts of wool. Birds give sound signals, some animals use smells.

Structural features

Climate has a strong influence on the adaptive features of the structure and behavior of animals. Depending on the degree of air humidity, the density of the environment, temperature fluctuations, they historically formed different body shapes. For example, in underwater inhabitants, this is a streamlined shape. It helps you move faster and maneuver better.

A characteristic structure for living conditions is the size of the ears of foxes. The colder the climate, the smaller the ears. In foxes living in the tundra, they are small, but in the fennec fox living in the desert, the ears reach up to 15 cm in length. Large ears help the fennec fox to cool off in the heat, as well as to catch the slightest movement.

Desert dwellers have nowhere to hide from the enemy, so some have good eyesight and hearing, others have strong hind limbs for fast movement and jumping (ostriches, kangaroos, jerboas). Their speed also saves them from contact with hot sand.

Northerners may be slower. The main adaptations for them are a large amount of fat (up to 25% of the total body in seals), as well as the presence of hair.

Color features

An important role is played by the color of the body and coat of the animal. It depends on thermoregulation. Light color avoids exposure to direct sunlight and prevents overheating of the body.

Adaptive features of body color and behavior of animals are closely related to each other. During the mating season, the bright color of males attracts females. Individuals with the best pattern receive the right to mate. Newts have colored spots, peacocks have multi-colored feathers.

Color provides protection to animals. Most species camouflage themselves in the environment. Poisonous species, on the contrary, can have bright and defiant colors that warn of danger. Some animals in color and pattern only imitate poisonous counterparts.

Conclusion

Adaptive features of the structure, color and behavior of animals in many ways Differences in appearance and lifestyle are sometimes noticeable even within the same species. The main factor for the formation of difference was the environment.

Each organism is maximally adapted for living within its range. In the case when conditions change, the type of behavior, color and even the structure of the body can change.