Name: 10 Cute Animals With Secretly Scary Behaviors
Uploaded: 2021-07-07T13:49:04.000Z
Duration: 9 min 53 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

Why do some people squirm at the sight of a centipede and “squee” at the sight of

We tend to think animals with big eyes, chubby bodies, and clumsy demeanors are cuter than

Evolutionarily, our love for baby-like features could stem from our own parental instincts:

it makes us nurture our offspring, so they have a better chance of surviving.

And this protectiveness can extend to other cute animals too… even though it can blind

Animal behaviors designed for survival can make these seemingly-cute creatures kinda

They have large, buggy eyes and they swell up with water like an adorable balloon!

But the “puff” in pufferfish is actually a warning.

Their pointy spines are mostly for show, but the message is clear: “HEY, DON'T EAT

This poison is called tetrodotoxin, and it's produced by bacteria that naturally live in

And when ingested, it's 1,200 times more poisonous to humans than cyanide.

See, tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin, something that affects the nervous system.

Our brain cells and muscle cells are powered by the movement of sodium ions through protein

And tetrodotoxin blocks these sodium channels, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, paralysis,

We currently don't have an antidote for tetrodotoxin poisoning, although there are

some natural predators of pufferfish that are resistant to it.

Even with these dangers, pufferfish are a very carefully-prepared Japanese delicacy

At low doses, tetrodotoxin just gives a consumer a tingling sensation or light-headedness.

So, for some foodies, eating this cute fish can be worth the risk.

Poison dart frogs are adorably tiny, bright, and colorful… and very deadly.

Their name comes from the fact that indigenous hunters laced darts with the toxins excreted

Different poison dart frog species have different toxins, but they're all in a group of chemicals

Alkaloids have a range of effects: like, morphine is a depressant and used as a painkiller,

and nicotine is the addictive stimulant found in cigarettes.

When the strong alkaloids found in the skin of poison dart frogs enter the bloodstream,

they act as neurotoxins, like the pufferfish's tetrodotoxin, and alter the sodium channels

that control the cells of the nervous system.

The frogs don't produce the toxin themselves, but they get it from toxic ants, beetles,

Somewhere along the evolutionary tree, poison dart frogs started storing these toxins in

their skin as a defense mechanism, and scientists are still trying to figure out how they do

Mother frogs even pass down poison to their babies, so that little tadpoles have a greater

Plus, scientists have found that the brighter-colored frogs tend to be more toxic.

So no matter how cute they seem, the patterns and colors on the poison dart frog are just

The slow loris is arguably one of the cutest primates, they're nocturnal and evolved

to have adorably giant eyes to improve their vision at night.

But their huge eyes and facial markings may also be a defense mechanism… by mimicking

This is an example of Müllerian mimicry, when two species have the same behavior or

appearance to protect them both from a shared predator, in this case, a hungry bird of prey.

While king cobras are still preyed upon by hunting birds, their venomous bite serves

Slow lorises can mimic king cobras by making a hissing sound.

But here's the more terrifying similarity: they're the only primate to evolve a toxic

And the slow loris toxin isn't produced in their mouths.

They have a special gland under their arm that produces a toxic oil, that's activated

The proteins in this toxic cocktail are actually similar to those found in cat dander, which

can cause a strong allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock.

So after a couple licks, slow lorises are ready to defend themselves against predators.

They also lick the heads of their young to give them a protective layer of toxin, because

they don't have the dexterity or speed to protect themselves yet.

So if you happen to see a slow loris grooming his underarms, you might just want to back

The platypus has a pudgy body, duck-bill, and stubby webbed feet that makes awkward

You might think they're unique because they're an egg-laying mammal, but they're also a

Male platypuses are equipped with spiny venomous spurs hidden behind their webbed feet, how's

It's possible that the platypus uses these spurs to defend against predators.

But during mating season, the venom gland grows and produces more of the toxin.

And since only males develop these venomous spurs, they could've evolved them to compete

A male platypus fights by wrapping his hind legs around his foe and driving in his spurs,

Then, proteins in the injected venom cause pain and temporary paralysis, leaving the

The dominant male gets the female, and will hopefully pass on his genetic traits to the

Mice are usually written off as vermin, but they can be really cute.

Look at those big round eyes and that furry little body!

But be careful when you go to pet an African spiny mouse.

When provoked, these mice shed their skin right off of their body, leaving a gaping

Impressively, the mice can regenerate their skin cells within days, and their furry coat

Our furry friends like dogs and cats may shed a couple times a year, but this spiny mouse

behavior is actually more similar to reptile autotomy, or self-amputation.

That's the self-defense mechanism where a lizard loses a tail or a starfish loses

a limb to get away from predators, and then regenerates it later.

These mice are the first mammals known to display this type of regeneration behavior.

While it might seem kind of creepy, these mice can teach scientists a lot about wound

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10 Cute Animals With Secretly Scary Behaviors

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