Insects are at the top of many animals’ menus – so it’s no surprise that they’ve developed an extensive and impressive range of defensive strategies over the course of their evolution.
The walking legs of a stick insect
The swimming legs of a backswimmer
The bombardier beetle is particularly spectacular where defence is concerned. It has two chambers filled with different chemical substances in its abdomen. When these substances are mixed together, the reaction produces a boiling-hot, corrosive fluid. The beetle can shoot this liquid directly into the face of its attacker with a loud pop, thus living up to its dramatic name!
Other insects simply make themselves inedible. Some of them produce poisons or bitter substances to repel predators. Particularly striking colour patterns such as those of wasps, firebugs and monarch butterflies serve as a direct warning to predators that they’re not suitable prey.
Others still use sounds to intimidate their would-be attackers. For example, the hissing cockroach emits a loud hissing noise when threatened to scare off predators.
And, last but not least, there are those that prefer to go completely unnoticed. Stick insects, walking leaves and thorn bugs are all masters of disguise. With their special body shapes and colouration, they blend optimally into their surroundings and are often almost invisible even to us humans.
