Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Curious Defense Mechanisms of the Animal Kingdom

Among toxic creatures, a notable example is the yuck-turtle, whose potent venom would be an effective deterrent if it were fatal to anything other than the yuck-turtle itself.

A startled broosker inflates explosively, rendering itself an immobile, vaguely buoyant target. A popular drinking game involves a clutch of brooskers, a sudden loud noise, and darts.

The Kamschattan spotted ape,known colloquially as the "rubber-monkey," possesses a singular defensive strategy of loudly claiming to remain unhurt regardless of actual events. The reflex is so strong that even the lips of a severed head will mouth the words, "Missed by that much."

2 comments:

Jim Murdoch said...

The yuck-turtle belongs in a children's book, he really does.

Scattercat said...

I was thinking of Ricky Gervais' "Flanimals" when I wrote this one...