This book is an illustrated account of the many ways in which animals defend themselves against their enemies. It describes the senses animals use to detect danger and how they react when threatened. Some choose to escape, such as the basilisk lizard which runs across water, while others rely on camouflage or have evolved physical defences. There is a chapter on prickly creatures such as hedgehogs, porcupines, anteaters and puffer-fish. Armoured tortoises, armadillos, lizards and pangolins are discussed in another. Also included are animals' methods of frightening or warning potential predators, such as the use of poison or electric shocks. Some species try to mislead attackers by using autotomy (the shedding of a limb), for example lizards and crabs, and others, such as the Virginia opossum, pretend to be dead. Collective defence, when animals group together to defend themselves, is assessed: musk oxen form an impenetrable ring, while birds may attack a predator by mobbing it. The author looks finally at how we can defend animals from their greatest enemy - man - against whom they have no defences.
- ISBN10 1852100796
- ISBN13 9781852100797
- Publish Date 16 May 1988
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 21 April 2005
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Hachette Children's Group
- Imprint Hodder Wayland
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 32
- Language English