See what are sinister sides of six kinds of animals
The natural world is fantastic, capable of always surprising us with its peculiarities and secrets. Some animals, however innocent and cute they may seem, also have certain rather sinister features that we did not even originally think of ourselves. Here are some of these animals and insects:
1 - Starfish and their single stomachs
For many, starfish are just blind, deaf and brainless animals, somewhat harmless and beautiful, beings that color the beaches and the ocean floor. Although not intimidating at all, they can be fatal, able to feed on oysters, small fish, sea snails, among many other species.
Because they lack teeth or jaws, the starfish's digestive system is quite peculiar. They can do something at least unusual: expel the small stomach toward the prey, trapping them and bringing them closer to the body.
Once the victim is trapped in the arms of the stars, she is forced to stay there for hours, or days in some cases, and be slowly digested while alive. It must be really macabre to die like this, slowly and with no way out. You didn't think Patrick from SpongeBob would be capable of such atrocities, did you?
2 - Octopoteuthis deletron squid dispensable arms
Unlike the terrible giant squids that inhabit the depths of the ocean, the Octopoteuthis deletron species measures less than a foot. However, they are very cunning and have almost their whole body prepared for imminent attacks. They are characterized by having a system called automatic attack.
When in contact with foreign bodies, the squid gives up his arms in an attempt to hang the likely enemy - even if it is apparently harmless. If it really is a predator, it can feed on the detached tentacles and the squid can run away without being chased. It's an interesting tactic, but it shouldn't work very well if the animal is attacked multiple times, isn't it?
3 - Killer Snails
Snails are considered very harmless beings, walk slowly and do not eat other animals, right? Not! A New Zealand snail species, known as the amber snail, is capable of rapid and strong attacks, capturing its prey and digesting it in a torturous manner.
The mouth of this snail is full of small razors that cut the eaten animal in thousands of parts to facilitate digestion. Watch the attack video:
4 - Salamanders disguised as crocodiles
When looking at some salamanders you may think that they are small simple animals with teeth to chew on small insects. However, do not expect this in tree salamanders. They may look innocent, but they have super sharp teeth that can draw blood from any man. Fortunately, they are not poisonous and their bites cause no side effects other than pain.
These salamanders feed on numerous types of insects, worms and other invertebrates, but they also like to feed on their own mates as they eat the other variations of the species without problems.
5 - Mice without skin
African spiny mice can be very cute and friendly, but they use a somewhat drastic method when they want to escape their predators. Remember the squid that gave off its tentacles? In the case of the mouse, it detaches its own skin, leaving it raw and escaping its attackers.
Meanwhile, the predator gets a piece of thorny skin that can hurt anyone who tries to eat it. In some cases, they may detach more than half of the body skin. Most striking is that they regenerate quickly, considering that they are skinless and protected - in just three days a new skin will coat the pet's body. Hair and thorns take longer, but the essential here is the skin, right? No getting your muscles out.
Many studies are already conducted with this type of animal, as their degree of regeneration is quite impressive, fast and leaves no marks. Who knows, they hide some chemistry for us humans to recover from cuts and bruises.
6 - Ladybugs are cruel beings
Ladybugs are cute and cute insects that color everyone's garden, right? Wrong! These insects are far crueler than you might think, as they feed on other insects and are well protected by their red carapace.
That way they can face hundreds of prey without worrying about counterattacks - rather unfair, right? Also, anyone who tries to bite them will taste an unpleasant and deadly poison to the little insects. As if that weren't enough, the hunger of the ladybugs is quite large for their size. Watch a video of an attack:
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And you, do you know any more animals or insects that also have some sinister features? Share with us!
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