The Science of Warfare (Animal Kingdom)

e and at w Chapter 1 - At peac y This is my territor Defending the home

Heads of the family rone Claimants to the th Duelling wolves uest On a campaign of conq Rising stakes Cannibals I Cannibals II

ar

6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

CONTENTS Chapter 2 - Armed

Tusk battles Spines and armour Polar battle Revolting compounds Venomous animals Venoms and inks Heat and electro shock

26 28 30 34 36 38 40 42

Contents s and strategi Chapter 3 – Tactic

es

Hiding on land Hiding in water Optical illusion At a deadly pace ption The masters of dece Winged bandits Gang of robbers

Small encyclo paedia Index

60 62

44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58

At peace a THE CUNNING ONES

Other than durin g the mating pe riod (winter), red wander the fore foxes mainly sts and fields of flat and hilly area actively defend s alone. They their 5-12 sq km empire from intru similar ilk. They ders of a notify others with traces of urine an as well as by scat d faeces, tering the compo unds of the scen cated on their fe t glands loet; this says that the territory has If food becomes been “taken.” scarce in their ar ea for some reas der further afiel on, they wand. This is when th ey might becom the territories of e intruders in other foxes.

ch other’s stray onto ea to an If foxes that me co e unable to is territory ar even fight. Th t gh mi ey th agreement, young foxes en wh rs cu oc most often and seek out mily foxholes leave their fa . es lv se em r th new homes fo

The Eu rasian leave Beave s a se r cre musky smell tion with a der o a t t h e bor f its r ange, tranc the en e of it s hol at its e, and assoc iated dam.

THE MINK EMPIRE

for their l family, s are known Minks, from the wease res tu . Males and their warlike na passion for hunting rk their ma other at all. They do not tolerate each markings nt sce g on with their str sovereign territory end the colon gland. They sp secreted from their territory e e in the centre of th majority of their tim have dug ey th le e cover of a ho (core territory), in th als. Every ured from other anim themselves, or capt und to patrol: They sniff aro few days, they go on thorised au un y have been an check whether there . me range intruders in their ho

At one ti me European , the Mink had been hunted without mercy for its l uxurious fur (mink) . days, it in Nowaha only spo bits ts in the river s, and swam lakes ps of Europe.

8

THIS IS MY TERRITORY !

and at war COSTS AND BENEFITS

It is only worth keeping a territo ry if it harbours sources and can sufficient rebe defended. If food is plentiful one can feed wel and everyl, there is no poin t to making a cla territory. The sit im to the uation is the sam e when food is sc can only be obta arce and ined by making a long trip, or if too many intrude there are rs. In these situa tions, defendin tory requires all g the territhe time and en ergy of the anim rives almost no al, so it debenefit from its rule.

fre- g in ing, mat t fight e r n o Bef t viole een the e n que rs betw he mal rt e u occ le and o her t t a fem ding in u intr y. r rito

Boar s ma rk th ries e bo o unda mark f their te ing t r he ba ritory b by ru y rk of bbing t them , whil up agains rees e wil t so w it d smel h their pr cats do ling ickly urine bits w a tions ith the sc nd raben of th their e gla t excrechin. nds u nder

Bengal Tiger s are the tru e kings of th ladeshi and e Indian, Ban Nepalese ju gngles. These solitary lifes predators liv tyle with va ea st, even 100 the boundar km² territori ies of which es, they and claw mar ks left on tree mark with their scent s. Their fearso used to ann ounce their me roar, sovereign ri tract mates ghts and to of the oppo atsite sex, can far as 3 km aw be heard fro ay. m as

e ven th imes e Somet tami of the o hippop sh for s. la Nile c e resource l valuab

9

Birds an nounce th eir reign over the ir nestin g territ with the ory ir voices dur mating pe riod. For ing the songbir example ds , ries of th mark the boundaeir terr itory wit resonan h t trills and woo peckers dby “drum ming� on trees.

Many animals develop a territory for themselves in the interest o f acquiring an d keeping resou rces that are valuable to th em (e.g. food, water, hiding places). These so-called terri torial species staunchly def end their empi re against intru ders with similar needs, meaning other members of th eir species. To avoid clashes, they make it obvious, with various markings (vis ible signs, sounds, scent s), that the territory is t heirs.

At peace a RITUALIZED WARFARE

d, re he t o t b is a e h no s eon in t na- d i e ate it el ht h n T ig . e y am oc Wh ch id s een e l onl e d th len r gr s ar hat n sp lou tal ay t ree ht g s co cry a w nd g f li k. h no suc ue a ts o bac l n ed in e b ne ct th mpo fle co e re ar

t in the interest of any ani As it is fundamentally no the ers ang end t fight tha mal to get involved in a ers mselves and other memb the of ing llbe we cal physi the tle set to opponents try of their species, initially, of aceful manner. The owner pe ly tive rela conflict in a er rud int the m fro ge llen cha the territory accepts the ng poses and emitti by displaying threatening s shrimp repeatedly exnti ma le, mp sounds. For exa m; s and flail at the sea botto tend and retract their leg in ds, bir lion seals bark, and wolves snarl and growl, , ff their feathers. Generally flu er, larg order to appear r we po of ys pla dis l mutua the clash is exhausted in reat of concluding with the ret stly mo , nry apo we and the attacker.

n tio er ac s t nd s t ke of i g a r ta in ie ant ow nge , it p g aim cr ra ge a t a e mw cl ged he s ess arp a h th y, e ne enr If t he m d s l al th an gs. d t s an i t t i n h In ains wit win sta law c ag ory g of der its n rit atin o u oys be ls t mpl i fa n e e ev ak. be Light

When it gets excited, vivid yellow and red spots appear in the skin of the reptile. This is caused by the realignment of the nanocrystals.

m

Irha

(pigores tainnoph n a o l c e s M cell ment lanin) e m ing

s

ou

e an

ut bc e Su su tis Re na flec no t cr ive ys ta l

s

Cells containing yellow and red pigment.

Iridophores (iridescent, re flective pigment cells)

leon k hame the c skin dar n e h s W by it , d s e s it subm his is cau lanin, T e ens. nt m o the e m t ig the p streams r up h cove lls. whic o t ce ace surf lourful o the c

FRILLED-NE

CK LIZARD

gain rerd tries to is leather a iz L k c th ed-ne r ding ou The Frill by sprea head when othe y it il b ta is h f spec o k he the bac ry. When pt frills on is territo e k h r y ll te a n e ill, norm ppears males fr is h t u ya so , his bod ont. It also stretche his neck n e fr o th d e m s o clo rs. rge fr la s a predato s e o scare ff four tim to k ic tr is utilises th

10

HĂĄ

and at war UNDARIES erritory deems thear,titit O B L L A D o the t from the oth BEYON imant t e place.

11

cla ak es it can t he new bat tak When t vantage and end, real com reason to risk d ad e has the back off : in th st have a goo the clashes, u t in tm o s n y ie t s doe injur fatal ou g par severe ult in a attack, llengin s r a e e h r ff c o u t e s Th uel the ften They o sual, for the d ser survives its life. lo u n e u h t t o . If n and it is ly one can win efeated. n d O . ld e e fi m co attle s the b nchly it leave bald eagle stau

The st it had defends the ne h its mate built jointly wit hunting and the nearby ited territory. Uninv dared ind ha o wh ts es gu me are ho his o int e trud lent vio a in f of chased aerial duel.

G N I D N E F E D E M O H E H T

THE CHA

OLOURS o change C F O L E t S DU ability in accordr their M E L EO N ’

us fo ir skin and o famo hues of the nt (foliage) ls a e r e a e idh s t h m n e n o iro ng st in ele Cham hey can cha e, direct env l trait not ju ht with ia ug .T ur urs colour h temperat e their spec l combat fo a id colo r is it u il iv w t it v r u f n y o o e ance h rio se ke ood. T e cour hey ta ff their supe etheir m also over th ir species. T d o s e t ges it owing ing, bu embers of th , thereby sh acknowled ls nt m other off their riva ted oppone erior. a e xt r id e a s c g it to s intim ss. The and darkenin e w o r p fading feat by

The residents of neig hbouring territories generally respect the boundaries and the markings of other members of th eir species, so they live and breed in peace alongside each othe r. At times, however, they break the rules and find themselves faci ng another.

The master of the te rritory attempts to chase of f the intruder by taking decisive ac tion at this time, although withou t violence. If it cannot convince the other, a bloody battle may even develop between them.

Armed

ploys the peccary em rt, es its sho collared e us th it , , nd er th n o o e si vi th s n On one ha it o As the herd, eedators. power of tice its en against pr no s sk to tu e r tim spear-like is a bette ve a hard e ha er d th ul , o w in a group ore than two.” is weak, it ut b , ne o m see me al mies in ti ntinuous our eyes n on a co do so – “f ive weapo ently chance to ns g fe h de et te ns its per canine oses its mouth, up It sharpe d an lower n it cl basis; its other whe nst each ther. o ch slide agai ea arpening thereby sh

America’s la rgest feline (on average, 150-180 cm long and w eighing 70-1 the jaguar, 35 kg), is the apex predator of cal rainfore tropists. Their tr ophies incl more than 85 ude species of an capybaras, imals (tapir caimans, bird s, s…, etc.).

Once th ry, it s e jaguar, h iding tealth in t ily spring s forth sneaks up o he thick ju ngle, s powe n it. O a n d w po rfu nc it wond l enough t h a gigantic e it is close ts the colla o pen red pe er tha enoug leap b e t cc t t imme h r diately he peccary rate even th ings down , it sudden a, grab ly its pre e shell . Some victim b y ed by .. Its b times of a to b the ite it e rto ctim in etween the to the ears a mployee a throat, suff ise – it is n is o nd the ocates differe trees. n crus n hes its t method: almost It skull. It g then d rabs its rags it s vi-

TUSK BATT

LES

unicorn named “the close also nick , in le sk ha tu w This es its against a” also us ales, or of the se s for fem lar ht g po fi d er rcas an quart sharks, o Greenland bears.

THE RAPIER OF THE N

28

ARWHAL

ic, seas of the Arct inhabiting the e ls, ar ha e er rw th na , e w th ja of their At first glance, es ns. At the front im or ic et m un so al t ic bu ag resemble m usually the left, one of which, tapering tusk. only two teeth, e form a spiral, es Th . lip r pe up e tusks, it usually both pierce th may also have es al m fe e as much as th might extend Even though d an es al m e ad of th ar and contiadorns the he ter their first ye af ow gr ecito ns gi many older sp 2.5 meters. It be their lives. With ed ut us ho be ug l ro el th w it may nues to grow or damaged, so en ok br n te of mens, it is other males. for fencing with

29 Dueling heroes: The warthog and the spotted hyena The astoundingly powerful jaws and teeth easily tear open the soft parts of the prey and pulverise the bones

The sp o stamin tted hyena is a metre . It follow fast with a s l s its p rey fo ot of km/ho and is capa ble o ur, so f purs r kiloit is e ing up uit at ven ca t 60 pable shelt o the warth of er. It og be fore it catchhunts as we succe ll as c an fin s in gro prote d ups. A sfully alo ct ne n enra seriou ing her you g ed so ng is s oppo w c o could n go eit ent, howev nsidered a er. Th her w e clas ay. h

Thic k impr neck m u o stre ve cle scles nchin ngt h g

s air e p wart e t hr of c t e r ot le s) o o le pr Tw r ma ges muzz (fo e bul and lik eyes ead the the h on

Fundamenta lly, the war thog is not of close-qu a fan arter comb at. When its cellent he exaring and se nse of smel let it know l that the pr ed at lion, leopar or is near – d, hyena or crocodile – raises its lo it ng, bushy ta il skyward an antenna, like and flees.

Despite its pact shape, comit is surprisi ngly fast: run as fast it can as 48 km/h.

When her pi lets are with gher, she do es not run away. Instea d, she brav ely faces th enemy. e

un its it ig, ble p s a ena pit i egs exce gh l h u ho ong r wit l nt e Eve ally dang . u e s ed e u e l p f to nal s tio

thick g and , lon h other s k s m) c r tu rd ea : 15-26 c uppe towa le a Two g m in e v , f ur and c 26-64 cm e: (mal

Two lower, shorter and thinner, but much sharper tusks

We find numerous animals on land and in the water whose teeth , during their sometimes astonishingly rapid developm ent, have lengthened. The so-calle d tusks are no mere decoration s; they primarily serve as weapo ns of war in the fight against other members of their species an d other species alike, for atta ck as well as defence. In the batt le of tusks, size, strength and sta mina are essential.

Armed

THE SKUNK’S GAS SPRAY

pair of scent glands are Under the tail of the skunk, a s, which produces a anu the of located on either side ish secretion. It uses nose-twisting, stinking, yellow ence. Animals living in this chemical weapon for def When bothered, it first th. ber its vicinity give it a wide attacker – tail raised, stoops its back and warns the legs (sometimes standshifting its weight on its fore isable to pick a fight adv ing on them) – that it’s not essful, it bends its ucc uns ves with it. When this pro ns fire: its range can rear end forward and then ope nt is gasping for air, one reach 6 metres. While its opp the skunk runs away.

The sk on t unk’s s h e pred e body o cretion a lin f the its d tor for unfo gers e d rtun mos fence is ays. Ev ate e t coyo mammal effectiv n thoug h e ag s (e. tes, a enem g. l foxe ynxe inst y s s, appa , the Gr ), its g r r eat Horn eatest sten ently u n e ch c ockt affecte d Owl, d by is ail. the

ay” as spr s its “g ption. e o s u t k s a n The sku y, only as a l rial e t a m gl enough uns out, sparin t s o m at n it r It has ded s. Whe be nee 8 shot ek may for 5e w a s a h c u as m oad. to rel

REVOL TING CO MPOUN DS

ng disgusti What is r fo g in rm and ala an cker, is a tt a e th perfume g in r u l al ers er memb for oth k bug’s n ti s e of th species

South

ern ta man

dua

ALERT SIGNAL SMELLS There are animals that em it a strong odour when they feel threatened. For exa mple, these include cer tain insects in the family Pentat omidae, these emit rep ulsive scent secretions from the glands on the sides of the abdomen. When it senses enemies, the southern tamandua emits a gas tha t is some Seven times as intense as that of the skunk.

Similarly, the Tasmanian devil only emits stench when frightened – it also signal s its fear by issuing a sharp, terrifying scream.

36

il ian dev

Tasman

Wolv

erine

DEADLY STENCH

n y hunter. It ca s e and greed rt iv so ss l al re g n o ag e is an d feeds es its size an The wolverin unam is ti it 5 if 4d e ar an that prey slay animals y guards its ams its ell. It jealousl w n it and stre o as es n at io n rr ri u it of ca t, find it o to sp is e r it on th . He does th it g in ry u b ble to devou ore ns, ials on it bef , mountain lio scent mater oting. others (bears lo se ts au n ec ve b how it pre is is later, but also Th . g in it disgust wolves) find

37

THE BLOOD GIVERS… The Texas horned lizards can squirt a targeted stream of blood at their enemies from the pores in the corner of their eyes. With each shot , they sacrifice a third of their total blood volume, which weakens them somewhat. Despite this, their tactic is effective: the sprayed predator gets confused, and the taste of the fluid is so disgustin g that the predator stops caring about the hun t in moments.

CENTIPEDE CREAM

e ntipedes secret fence, many ce cad de ea -h As a form of de te hi id or gas. The w h a venomous flu forests of Sout habits the rain in n at io th et in cr ch se pu . The use of this fact nt lle ce ex an America, make as sects serves in e th by ily d ar te genera which prim t mosquitoes, repellent agains season. They y in ra ring the ghly rub torture them du and then thorou es ed ip nt ce e grind th eir fur. the pulp into th

Beak-spra y When rapt ors attack their nest , the hatc hlings of the arctic fulmar sp ray the contents of their stomach at them.

The orange co loured, sticky, oil y materia l sticks on the feathers of th e attacker s and great ly reduce s their mob ility.

The chemica l materials of certain animals oc cupy a resp ected place on the list of chemical weapons.

When someo ne dares to bother them, in res ponse, they spray a disgusting secretion fr o m their bodies or e ven employ a merciless gas attack to repulse the enemy.

Their enemie s may receiv “sampler” o ea f a difficult -t o -r compound c emove onsisting o f stinking gases and u npleasant m ixtures.

Armed POISON DART FROGS

op of the A single dr dart frog’s blue poison is enough to ” ail kt oc “c of an adult end the life g. in be n huma

R POISO O S U O M O N VE

NOUS?

l inforests of Centra , inhabiting the ra rth Ea eon th e es at uc br not prod s land verte res in size. They do The most venomou ely a few centimet er m her arthropods d ot d an , an s ica er er id and South Am from the ants, sp it in ta ob e Amazon regiey th th , tead an tribes living in di In ir own venom; ins in. sk y m sli r golden poison ring it in their apons. They prefe we they consume, sto g cin fire, er pi eir th the animals over a is to make on also borrow th them all. They hold of st lie ad it. de th e wi th as it is eir darts dart frog venom, cover the tips of th cretion, and then ex ed ud ex e th ct colle g” vellin n e “tra iso l o o p p d e a h The t k of t fected e bac on th og is unaf on. is r f dart r’s po fathe s it y b

that inanimals e s o th s e proenomou they hav this We call v convey poison r fo lly eloped tentiona g the tools dev efend themsin y or to d ous duced, u catch pre rganism poison to , e s o o g s in purp e v s li u a a uch c e call selves. W nsumption or to e venomous o b c n s a it c imal when same an same time. e h T . harm t the onous a and pois

S M O N E V The stonefis h produces the world’s mo st dangerou s venom, stor ed in its hard spines. Its sting is ofte n fatal. Hiding on the ston y bottom of shallow se as, it is nearly impossible to notice; cons equently, many divers and bathers have had un fortunate ac cidents.

lease ly re emost i fish r lp e o l t t Oc k, cut nera e in g k c is eat bla ink th ile squid r lease n, wh lack ink. w o r h-b ly b bluis lease

and Digestive gl

et

Brain f the ody o The b n squid. o comm

Radu

la

l Gul

Kidney

Stomach

Eye

Arms

Siph

on

s ucker

S

Anus

40

Feed

Ink sac

Gill

ing t ent

acle

Heart

WATCH OUT, I’M POISONOUS! Poisonous animals often indicate with a vivid colour that they have a bad taste or are dangerous. For example, these include the brightly coloured , black and yellow fire salamander, the European fire-bellied toad with its scarlet pattern, the seven-spot lady bird or the caterpillar of the scarce fritillary, which stores the poison of its food plant in its bodily fluids. They avoid attacks with this tactic. If they were to become prey, at the very least, they teach a harsh lesson to the attacker. The unpleasant experience is burned into its memory, and neve r again is it going to be eager to “sam ple” that particular species.

feathers The skin and i are of the pitohu ith a saturated w otoxin. strong neur me toxin sa e th is is Th sed by es ss po is that ogs. fr rt da poison it in ta ob s rd The bi gs they from the bu consume.

41

S K N I D N A BEYOND THE INK

CLOUD

When fleein g, cuttlefish , octopi and produced in squid releas side their bo e the ink that dies. This co ring materia is ntains the sa l – called mel me dark colo anin – that is Its storage ta ufound in skin nk is a sac w , fur and hai ith a muscu ch is located r. lar wall, the close to the exit tube of syphon. The through this whianimal squee tube, propel zes water ling itself bac it is forced to kwards like flee, it open a rocket. Wh s its ink sac towards the en and shoots enemy, while its contents escaping beh ten it mixes slime into it ind the scre en of ink. Ofto make the its shape lon cloud dense ger. By float r and mainta ing in the w ce of another in ater, it create living organ s the appea ism, which co the time the rannfuses the p predator has redator. By figured out disappeared the trick, the . cuttlefish has

In t sh erio el l r

tle

Man

e organ

Reproductiv

In the witch’s brew of nature , we discover more and more exci t in g mixtures. Oth er than poiso n s, the palette is diversified by compounds of peculiar composition a s well. The spectacularly colourful ext erior of many anima ls might hide murderous co mpounds. Other “phials” are fi lled up with fl uids that if release d, could save lives. Thus, th ese weapons mostly serve a s self-defence.