For animals, predation is a serious business.
The animal kingdom does not joke around when it comes to survival. However,
the way animals hunt can at times be unorthodox. Either by having a suit
of tricks up their sleeves, adapting themselves to the environment,
or just by exploiting their natural capabilities,
here are 10 bizarre ways animals hunt their prey. Oh,
and make sure you stick around because at number one,
we've got a certified hot shot. Literally.
It's even hotter than the surface of the sun. Without further ado,
let's jump in.
Number 10, secretary bird.
Birds of prey usually hunt from the air and utilize their beaks and talons to
deliver the killing blow. However, there's always an exemption to every rule.
And in this case, that exception is the secretary bird.
It prefers hunting on foot.
Interestingly it's scientific name Sagittarius Serpentarius means
archer of snakes. Well,
it likes hunting snakes as well as other reptiles and rodents.
Using its long powerful legs, it stomps with a force of 44 pounds,
which is enough to crush the victim to death. In a way,
the secretary bird is like a human having a tantrum,
stomping its legs in frustration. Only in the birds case,
it actually gets things done. Number nine, cone snails.
Snails aren't usually perceived as deadly,
partly because they're painfully slow. But then again, so are tanks.
The cone snail packs quite a punch.
Despite not being a speed machine it's capable of swift deadly attacks.
When it detects potential prey within range, it launches a proboscis,
a long flexible tube with a hooked tooth at the end.
It's kind of like nature's version of a harpoon.
The tooth carries venom that immobilizes the prey almost immediately.
On a slightly comforting note,
the prey doesn't feel the sting as the venom contains painkillers.
That being said the proboscis doesn't just inject venom,
it also allows the cone snail to reel in the prey to be swallowed
whole. Number eight, stoat.
A stoat seems like a furry cuddly thing, but in reality,
it's a savage little critter. Considered a cousin to the weasel,
it likes munching, lizards, small birds, rodents, and rabbits.
Despite its size, it can even go toe to toe with animals ten times its size.
The stoat hunts by pursuing the trail of scent left by its prey.
What sets it apart from other predators though is its other tactic, dancing.
It leaps and thrashes around like no one is watching, but there's a catch.
The wild performance attracts the attention of unsuspecting prey seemingly
stunning them through curiosity. Meanwhile,
the stoat thrashes closer and closer to his target until it's near enough to
attack, delivering a deadly bite to the back of the victim's neck.
Number seven, velvet worm. Despite appearances,
the velvet worm isn't a worm but a cross between an insect and a worm.
But what's interesting is the weapons in its arsenal.
It has not one but two guns. Well sort of.
It has two oral papillae,
which are openings located to the left and the right of its mouth.
These openings shoot slime as far as one foot.
It isn't poisonous but is very sticky, drying in the air.
Perfect for trapping prey, such as insects.
As long as the prey doesn't exceed the velvet worms size it's suitable for
consumption. Once the victim gets immobilized,
the velvet worm takes its sweet time, eating it alive, slime and all.
Life's too short to not join a party. However,
if you choose to go with one of the animals further up this list,
you might be in for a one-way trip. So be careful. Okay.
Number six, chameleon.
The chameleon is a name synonymous with camouflage,
but there's more to it than just color shifting.
It's the kind of hunter that simply sits in disguise and grabs whatever it wants
thanks to an arsenal of features.
It can switch between monocular and binocular vision,
meaning it can focus on two objects at once.
And with eyes located on opposite ends of its head,
it has a 360 degree horizontal vision. In addition,
it has a ridiculously fast tongue which can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per
hour in 1/100th of a second.
It can even extend to roughly twice the chameleon's body length to grab prey.
And with vicious, sticky mucus 400 times thicker than human saliva,
the target has little chance to escape. Number five,
cuttlefish. The cuttlefish changes color to match the surroundings,
allowing it to blend in.
And then it sneaks up on unsuspecting victims unleashing a pair of tentacles
which shoot out at a speed of 8.2 feet per second,
snatching the prey into its arms.
The arms have pads with suckers for pulling prey into its beak,
which is strong enough to crush crab shells.
Some species paralyze prey with venom before consumption.
A cuttlefish's color shifting ability has another purpose - hypnosis.
It can perform a light performance quickly flashing several colors.
The cuttlefish's appearance screams for attention and dazzles potential prey,
luring it to come closer. It's like an underwater party,
but it doesn't end. Well. We've got a couple more shooters on this list.
Let's give John wick what he wants.
Number four, margay. Except for the spotted coat,
the margay looks a lot like your typical domesticated cat,
but there's more to it than meets the eye.
The spotted coat helps it blend in with the wilderness and unlike it's city
dwelling cousins, it prefers tree tops and branches.
With ankles that rotate 180 degrees, it can grip branches as well.
It can even jump horizontally up to 12 feet.
These capabilities translate to the margay's proficiency at chasing birds and
monkeys through trees. But that's not all.
It occasionally mimics other animal voices to lure prey.
Scientists observed a margay imitating the sound of a baby pied,
tamarin monkey. While not exactly a perfect copy,
its voice was effective enough to catch the attention of the adult tamarin
monkeys.
Pretending to be the same animal as the prey is a devious tactic to prevent
spooking it as it approaches. And when the target falls into range,
the margay jumps straight into action. Number three,
archer fish. The archer fish is a long range hunter. From 9.84 feet,
it can shoot insects and pierce leaves with jets of water.
What makes it special is it's mastery of optics. You see,
light undergoes refraction when it hits the air-water boundary at an angle
other than perpendicular to the surface, causing visual distortion. However,
the archer fish can compensate and maintain deadly accuracy.
Moreover,
it can tweak the velocity of the waterjet by changing the diameter of its mouth
opening to hit the target with greater force. The force isn't deadly,
but is strong enough to knock it into the water,
allowing the archer fish to grab it. Speaking of shooters,
the animal on top of our list is a certified marksman.
Best of all it's got a gun. Trust me. Number two,
humpback whale.
Oftentimes humpback whales feed themselves by lunging at prey with their mouths
open. Straightforward but effective nonetheless. However,
these guys have another trick called bubble net feeding. And no,
this technique is not to be confused with the way fishermen heard fish.
The hunting begins when the whales dive below a herd of fish. Slowly,
they swim in a shrinking circle,
blowing bubbles through their blow holes around the fish. As a result,
they create a wall of bubbles which serve as nets the fish wouldn't dare cross.
As one of the whales signals the feeding call,
all of them swim upwards with their mouth open swallowing fish along the way.
Number one, pistol shrimp.
Humans aren't the only species in the animal kingdom that have access
to guns. The archer fish has seen that. But there's another one.
Say hello to the pistol shrimp. It has two claws,
but one is way bigger than the other, that it's gun.
When prey approaches the pistol shrimp aims and cocks the larger claw,
just like a handgun. And then,
it snaps shut firing a cavitation bubble at 100 miles per hour.
As the bubble collapses,
it can reach temperatures of up to 13,890 degrees Fahrenheit,
making it hotter than the suns surface. Unsurprisingly,
the victim either gets stunned or dies a quick death.
It seems like you've got competition, Mr. Wick.
It's clear that the animal kingdom is filled with a cacophony of weirdness,
but let's get one thing straight.
These animals do not hunt the way they do just to impress us.
No matter how amusing or entertaining they are,
it's just business as far as they are concerned.
Any hunting method is okay as long as it gets the job done. Right.
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you guys next time.