You all love Crazy Creatures as much as we do.
Today we are going to show you our
Leaping into number five.
This cute little critter may look like a typical gecko,
but it's not.
What makes this one special is its ability to shoot a stinky,
yellow liquid from its tail.
It uses this defense mechanism against predators
such as birds, cats and dogs,
and can squirt it
up to 1 m (3 ft).
While the liquid is harmless, its odor tries to make the
gecko seem as unappetizing as possible.
Its golden tail can snap off if something gets close enough
to bite the gecko,
allowing it to make a quick getaway.
Plus, kind of like a cat,
this versatile tail twists in the air when a gecko is falling,
helping the lizard land on its feet.
Hopping into fourth place.
Say hello to the most far-out toads on the planet.
These slimy amphibians' skins secrete a milky toxin
that contains hallucinogens,
namely bufotenine and 5-MeO-DMT.
Some people lick this secretion or dehydrate
and smoke it as a psychedelic drug.
Various South American cultures have used it
in healing rituals
for physical and mental problems as far back
as the Middle Ages.
But it was popularized in the 1960s
by the counterculture movement.
Some people hoping for a spiritual journey
have taken cane toad poison.
A 2018 study found that 5-MeO-DMT in mice
increased cell survival and stimulated cell proliferation
in the brain.
Because impaired cell survival and proliferation are
symptoms of mental illnesses
such as depression and anxiety,
this finding suggests that 5-MeO-DMT
could help to treat these disorders.
But the cane toad's secretion is a toxin,
so consuming it could cause shock, diarrhea
and cardiac arrest.
Until doctors know more about it,
I wouldn't go around licking cane toads.
Number three.
Typically found on the seafloor,
these squishy creatures have multifunctional buttholes
That's right.
that they use to breathe,
poop and shoot out their internal organs.
Yes, I said internal organs, and no,
they don't do this to kill themselves.
It is a self-defense tactic against predators
as their organs are toxic.
But don't worry. Their organs regrow,
allowing the sea cucumber to live.
What's more, is that researchers discovered
sea cucumbers are poop machines.
They defecate around 37 g (1.3 oz) of poop daily
or 14 kg (30.8 lb) per year.
A single coral reef can amass over
70,000 tons of poop in a year.
It may sound gross, but their waste plays a significant role
in the health of a coral reef ecosystem.
Crawling into the number two slot.
Though it may look like a prehistoric crustacean,
the horseshoe crab is an arthropod.
This means it's more closely related to scorpions
and spiders than it is to crabs.
But what makes these weird-looking creatures
truly unique is their bright blue blood.
It contains immunity cells that clot around toxic bacteria,
protecting the horseshoe crab's body.
Humans have used these cells since the 1970s
to detect bacteria that could be harmful to humans
in vaccines, some drugs and medical devices.
COVID-19 vaccine researchers rely on this blood.
Though it's a boon for public health, harvesting the
crabs' blood has caused a decline in the
Atlantic horseshoe crab population.
Some companies, such as the Charles River Laboratories
in Wilmington, Massachusetts,
raise horseshoe crabs in hatcheries
and release them into the ocean.
In 2019, 100,000 horseshoe crabs were released around
Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Run away. Run away. Be free.
Floating in at number one.
Not to be confused with a jellyfish,
the Portuguese man o' war is actually a colony
of organisms, or polyps, working together to survive.
This type of creature is called a siphonophore.
Each of the four individual polyps work interdependently
to float, hunt, eat and reproduce.
But if you come across one in the ocean or on the beach,
stay away.
Their stinging tentacles grow up to 50.1 m (165 ft) long.
That's taller than the Arc de Triomphe.
Mon Dieu.
These tentacles contain venom, and if you get stung,
you could suffer cardiac,
neurological and respiratory distress.
In extreme cases, you could die.
Here's to another year of Crazy Creatures videos.
As long as you keep watching them,
we'll keep making them.
What creatures would you like to see featured next year?
Let us know in the comments.
Doing gross things and helping scientific research
is what these animals do.
And that's what makes them Cool Critters.
Just kidding.