Top Ten Animals with the Strangest Self-Defense Methods

XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX In the wild world, it's kill or be killed. Organisms need to be strong and clever in order to survive the harsh and cruel nature. Luckily, nature has given each organism with special self-defense methods to help them survive, and some of those self-defense methods are just utterly strange...

The Top Ten

1 Malaysian Exploding Ant Malaysian Exploding Ant

Smart, the predator will definitely think the ant is dead. Ants can feel pain, but how will they heal after exploding?

I don't get the use of that. How is that self defense when it kills itself? It could just as well let itself be eaten... - Martin_Canine

So it is a suicide bomber. I think we found the ant terrorists. - Jason_Todd

What is the point of blowing yourself up?

4 Comments
2 Iberian Ribbed Newt Iberian Ribbed Newt

Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl) is a species of newt endemic to central and southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco

First, it will push its ribs out of its body. Second, it covers its currently-exposed ribs with poison that can kill the predator. Hmm...a little too complicated, gruesome, and painful for a self-defense method... - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

3 Texas Horned Lizard Texas Horned Lizard The Texas horned lizard is one of about 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards.

This should really be No. 1.

Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is a species of horned lizard, lizards with spikes body from North America

When threatened, it will squirt blood out of its blood vessels in its eyes. It's the same thing as laser-eyes you see in sci-fi movies, except with blood as the laser. The blood it squirts our of its eyes tastes foul to canids and felids, so they won't eat this lizard (but unfortunately, has no effect on aves) - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

4 Sea Cucumber Sea Cucumber

Sea cucumber is an echinoderm with elongated body containing a single branched gonad

It has 2 self-defense methods: The first one is pretty normal, but the second one is pretty gruesome. The first method, it will spray toxic and stinging white strings. Sounds normal, right? The second method, however, is very different. If the first method doesn't work, it will go to its Plan B: poop out some organs so the predator thinks it's dead... - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

5 Hairy Frog Hairy Frog

Hairy frog (Trichobatrachus robustus) is a species of frog found in Central Africa

First, the newt who breaks its ribs. Second, the sea cucumber who poops out its own organs to play dead. Now, we have the frog who breaks its own bones to make "claws" (no wonder it's also called the Wolverine frog). Gee, the animal world can get very gruesome... - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

6 Colorado Potato Beetle Colorado Potato Beetle

Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is a pest to potato plants

The larva has quite a disgusting self-defense method. It covers itself with its own poisonous and very-horrible-smelling feces to keep predators away - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

7 Northern Fulmar Northern Fulmar

Northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is a species of sea bird found in subarctic regions of North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans

Yet another animal with a disgusting self-defense method. The chick will vomit to the predator. Its vomit has the very unpleasant scent of rotten fish, which will instantly shoo away the predator - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

8 Pygmy Sperm Whale Pygmy Sperm Whale

Being a sperm whale I thought the ink would be white - lemur

Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is a small species of toothed whale

It (along with dwarf sperm whale) has an ability to eject some kind of dark reddish-brown "ink" to confused predators, like squids and octopi - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

9 Boxer Crab Boxer Crab

This crab kind of reminds me of Crabrawler from Pokemon Sun and Moon even though it's based off the coconut crab according to Bulbapedia. - ModernSpongeBobSucks

Boxer crab (Lybia, not to be confused with the country Libya) is a genus of small crabs

It may seem like the name doesn't suit it well because this crab looks rather like a cheerleader than a boxer, but that name actually suits it very well. Yes, this adorable little guy is a strong boxer and its punches can kill certain animals. It's just that...its "boxing gloves" look too much like a pair of cheerleader's pompoms... - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

10 Slow Loris Slow Loris

They're bae, so cute

Slow loris (Nycticebus) is a genus of nocturnal strepsirrhine primates

Name says it all, it moves veerryy slowly, which makes it hard to escape predators. Luckily, it has a deadly weapon that can be used to fight the predator, and that is a pair of poisonous glands in its...armpits. Yeah, armpits, that's a rather strange place to keep a deadly weapon... - XxDarkStorm_PhoenixMothxX

The Contenders

11 Pufferfish Pufferfish The Tetraodontidae are a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes.
12 Elephant Hawk Moth
13 Bee Bee
14 Taipan Taipan
15 Fire Ant Fire Ant
16 Wasp Wasp
17 Bumblebee Bumblebee A bumblebee, also written bumble bee, is a member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. The brood parasitic or cuckoo bumblebees have sometimes been classified as a subgenus or genus, Psithyrus, but are now usually treated as members of Bombus.
18 Box Jellyfish Box Jellyfish Box jellyfish are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their cube-shaped medusae. Some species of box jellyfish produce extremely potent venom: Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi and Malo kingi.
19 Raccoon Raccoon The raccoon, sometimes spelled racoon, also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon and colloquially as coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America.
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