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| Not all defense is an offense | | December
15, 2002. |  All
those among us who are soccer or football fans know, thanks to the wise and eloquent
words of the sportscasters, that the best defense a team can have on the field
against its opponent's pounding, is that of repelling the attack with the same
force and consistency as those used by the attackers, that is to say, "the
best defense is a good offense."
Nevertheless,
and thank heavens, the events that occur on a playing field and the philosophy
that they entail are not the common denominator within the environment that surrounds
us. On the contrary, Mother Nature is eclectic and she has devised an infinite
number of strategies to counter the attack of enemies or predators, without spilling
a single drop of blood or sweat on the field where the endless game of life and
death has been played for millions of years, 24 hours a day.
Although we mentioned that no blood is spilled in the defense systems of living
beings, there is one that bases its efficiency on this fact. In the deserts of
the southern United States, three species of spiny lizards have developed a strange
and fascinating defense strategy based on "crying blood". To achieve
this, the lizards increase the blood pressure in their eyes' lacrimal or tear
cavities until the walls burst and the blood bursts out with such power that it
may be spurted up to one meter (3 feet) away. The potential predator, faced with
such a disconcerting situation, opts not to attack and begins to flee.
 In
their attempt to avoid a confrontation, some other animals prefer to sacrifice
part of their self in order to maintain the integrity of their life. This process,
known as self-amputation, is practiced by innumerable organisms and is very well
known in various species of little lizards. During that process, the tail is designed
to separate itself from the body at certain specific pre-determined breaking points.
The moment they run into an imminent danger, they amputate their tail and some
special muscles hold on to it, contracting it to attract the attention of the
predator, thus giving them enough time to scurry off to a safe hiding place. The
most surprising fact here is that a new tail can regenerate in as little as one
month. On the other hand, acting is a means of defense
often used by animals. For example, the opossum feigns death in the presence of
danger. Its acting method consists in falling to the ground, body rigid, eyes
half-closed, with an expression of pain on its face. If that doesn't work, it
will complete its trickery by defecating and emitting fetid odors, an additional
theatrical technique that gives the impression that besides being dead, it is
already starting to putrefy. With so many special effects, it causes the predator's
loss of appetite, and he then opts to turn around and go in search of some "fresher"
food.  The
act of feigning death when attacked is also common among invertebrates such as
spiders, stick insects, scarabs, termites and mites. Curiously, this ability has
also spread to one domestic animal: there is one variety of goat that collapses
at the slightest fright. Its legs turn rigid and it falls to the ground with all
four in the air. A speeding car, a passing motorcycle or someone with dazzling
clothes is sufficient motive to cause this reaction. Fainting goats were raised
by the first American farmers who started out with a very select variety. Their
tendency to "faint" at the slightest provocation helped protect them
from the coyotes. Today, this species of goat is only bred as a hobby by some
enthusiastic few. Before man discovered the wheel, nature
had already put in motion its locomotive properties as a strategy for escaping
predators. For example, a certain species of caterpillar turns itself into a wheel
by curling up, thus enabling it to roll downhill as quickly as one inch per second,
avoiding capture by a hungry predator. In fact, its transformation into a living
wheel allows it to move 40 times faster than its normal locomotive speed.  Despite
its slow movements, the safety of the turtle when faced with voracious predators
is not threatened. The strong armor (only in some species as some others have
soft shells) that covers its body functions as a protective shield that repels
invaders. In fact, this natural shell served as inspiration for the Roman legions.
One of their military tactics, wherein the soldiers would set their shields along
the sides of an advancing formation, was called "testudo", i.e.: the
turtle.
Finally, one of the most popular defense systems
that does not involve confrontation is that of camouflage. Among the many animals
that use this resource is the peacock flounder, a flat-bodied fish able to imitate
the color patterns and designs of the marine floor it inhabits. This versatility
in taking on the image of its environment is due to the thousands of pigment cells
that cover its body and, as incredible as it may seem, manage to simulate the
light and dark pattern of a chessboard. cupul@pvmirror.com Archives
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