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Originally Posted by Snaz
I just wanted to chime in here about defensive responses and stress. Many animals have many different response mechanisms to stress all in an effort to improve survivability; camoflauge, ink-jets, tails that fall off or just run like hell etc. Off the top of my head I cannot think of any defensive response of any creature that would put that creature in further harms way, except bee stings but that is whole hive organism thing.
To say a defensive response contributes to that creature's demise does not make sense to me on an evolutionary scale. Can anyone think of any examples where a defensive response actually does the organism harm?
I understand that puffing is probably stressful and if a puffer was puffing too much and or constantly inflated it's not going to do well but I expect whatever condition is eliciting the defensive response is more harmful than the actual response.
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There is a horned lizard that uses its horns when attacked to put pressure on its sinus cavities which ends up exploding its own eyes as a defensive response. There are ants that explode. There is also some species of hairy frog that breaks it bones to extend claws out from under its skin. Scientists are not sure though if they can ever get them back in.
Anyways, there are more Im sure but thats some I have heard or read about in the past. Many insects kill themselves for the good of the colony but that doesn't really count...so I guess the ants don't count
You can just do a simple google search about puffers defense mechanisms and get all the info you need about what it does to shorten their life. Just because they have evolved to be able to do it doesn't mean its good for them. Take the info how you want. If you don't believe it, you don't believe it...
Man, why do I bother to post stuff like this??? Need to remember to stay out of these things
The intentions really were good but somehow it was all taken as some kind of attack and false information. Oh well.