WHAT DEFENCES DO GRAZING ANIMALS HAVE AGAINST PREDATORS?

For most grazing animals, being part of a herd is their best defence against attack. Although individual animals, especially young, old or sick ones, may be picked off by predators, most animals will be safe. There are also more animals to watch out for danger while the rest graze. When attacked, the best defence of an antelope or zebra is its speed. At least over short distances, it can usually outrun its attackers. Wildebeest and some other heavier animals also have a powerful kick, which can break the bones of a lion or hyena if well aimed.

Defense mechanisms are very important to all animal life. Animals in every biome must eat to survive. With predators being high on the food chain and always on the lookout for a meal, prey must constantly avoid being eaten. Adaptations that prey employ ads to the chances of survival for the species. Some of these adaptations include defense mechanisms that can give prey an advantage against their enemies.

There are several ways animals avoid falling prey to a predator. One way is very direct and comes naturally. Imagine you are a rabbit and you have just noticed a fox preparing to attack. What would be your initial response? Right, you’d run. Animals can use speed as a very effective means of escaping predators. Remember, you can’t eat what you can’t catch!

Another defense mechanism is camouflage or protective coloration. One form, cryptic coloration, allows the animal to blend in with its environment and to mask its identity. Cryptic coloration is important to the survival of many new-born and young animals, as it is often their main defense against being detected by predators. Some animals blend in so well with their environment that it is very difficult to identify them. For example, some insects and other animals can look like leaves; both in their visual appearance and their behavior. It is important to note that predators also use cryptic coloration to avoid detection by unsuspecting prey.

When faced with danger, some animals pretend to be dead. This type of adaption is known as thanatosis. Opossums and snakes can even emit a fluid that produces a foul smell, thus adding to the pretense. Such behavior tricks predators into thinking that the animal is dead. Since most predators avoid dead or rotting animals, this type of defense mechanism is often very effective.

Some animals try to avoid predators by simply running, flying or swimming away as fast as they can. This is a very common defense mechanism that many animals use. Many animals that use speed as a defense live in open habitats, which don’t provide many places to hide from predators. Many animals that rely on speed also have excellent vision or hearing, so they can detect predators before they get very close.

To sum it all up, the predator-prey relationship is important to maintaining balance among different animal species. Adaptations that are beneficial to prey, such as physical defenses, ensure that the species will survive. At the same time, predators must undergo certain adaptive changes to make finding and capturing prey less difficult.

Without predators, certain species of prey would drive other species to extinction through competition. Without prey, there would be no predators. The animal organisms in such an environment could become endangered or even extinct. The predator-prey relationship ensures that the cycle of nutrients in biomes continues. Thus, this relationship is vital to the existence of life as we know it.

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