Biodiversity > What's This? Staying Safe

This strange insect looks like two animals in one: a yellow winged insect and a black ant. In fact, it’s only one – a harmless treehopper . The black part that looks like an ant is a disguise!

Why would a plant-eating insect have an ant disguise? To avoid predators! Most ants are poisonous and bitter tasting. So if you’re a soft, tasty treehopper, carrying a fake ant around is worth the weight.

Some animals mimic other species to scare away or escape predators. Others hide from predators using camouflage by blending in with their surroundings. The mimic octopus does both!

This amazing octopus can take on many different guises. Its skin changes colors and patterns, and its boneless body can take on almost any shape. One minute it may seem to disappear on the ocean floor, the next it may look like a poisonous lionfish or sea snake!

It’s not always possible to fool or hide from predators to stay safe. Sometimes plants and animals need armor to protect them. The giant dragon lizard is covered with sharp, bony plates from its head to its tail. Only its soft belly is bare.

All of the members of this lizard’s family tree share bony plates. But some have more armor than others. Those with less armor tend to live in places with lots of rocks and boulders to scramble under. Those with heavier armor, like the giant dragon lizard, live in more open areas — so they need more protection.

If you’ve ever caught a whiff of a skunk’s spray, you can see how one squirt would keep away predators. Skunks aren’t the only animals with built-in squirt guns. The hoopoe uses a similar defense to protect its nest.

This bird fends off prowling mammals by spraying a nasty-smelling oil from a gland under its tail. In some hoopoe species, baby birds spray too, shooting a stream of poop at attackers.

There are many more animal sprayers, such as ink-squirting squid, beetles that spout super-hot chemicals, tortoises that shoot pee, termites that spew sticky goo, and lizards that squirt blood from their eyes!

Who wants to bite into something covered in sharp spines? Getting stabbed in the mouth is so painful that this defense is found in many organisms, from sea urchins to porcupines. But animals aren’t the only ones with this defense.

The golden barrel cactus is covered with long, sharp spines. Since plants can’t run from predators, spines can help keep them from being eaten. Spines also help collect dew, release heat, and provide a little bit of shade in sunny habitats .

When it comes to staying safe from predators, sometimes there’s no place like home. Black-tailed prairie dogs build their homes underground. These small ground squirrels dig tunnels or burrows. A typical family lives in a dozen burrows — some for sleeping, others for raising babies or for safe retreats.

These homes are part of vast, underground “towns” with thousands of neighbors. Having so many neighbors makes them almost impossible to sneak up on. If a hawk or ferret gets close, someone is bound to sound the alarm, and they all dash to safety underground.