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Common opossum {Didelphis marsupialis} playing dead as defence strategy
Inflated spotted porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix), Maui, Hawaii
Common eider duck (Somateria mollissima) female defending her nest from arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus). Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen. June
Veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) resting on top of the two halves of an old clam shell on the sandy seabed. These octopus regularly carry pieces of shell so they can use them as protective
Murmuration of Common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) with Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) hunting them, The Netherlands, November
Edwards Atlas Moth (Attacus edwardsii) in defensive posture, Bhutan, June
Green tree ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) defending their leaf nest, Daintree River, Wet Tropics World Heritage area, Queensland, Australia
Trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus hastatus) with mandibles open, Los Amigos Biological Station, Peru
Accumulation of land snails (Euryptyxis labiosa), escaping the desert heat by resting on a shrubs bark, Ayn Sahnawt, Sultanate of Oman, February
Armadillo Lizard (Cordylus cataphractus) biting its own tail while trying to roll into a defensive ball, captive, from South Africa
Armadillo girdled lizard (Cordylus cataphractus) coiled up in defensive posture in persons hand. Elands Bay, South Africa
Frill-neck Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii), displays on a termite mound. Northern Territory, Australia
Fosa / Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) male snarling, dry deciduous forest, Kirindy Forest, Western Madagascar, IUCN vulnerable species
Aggregation of thousands of moulting Spider crabs (Leptomithrax gaimardii), South Australia Basin, Australia. Pacific Ocean
Guineafowl puffer fish (Arothron meleagris) inflated, displaying defensive behaviour over coral reef, Yap, Indo Pacific, Micronesia
Yellow spotted monitor standing threat display {Varanus panoptes panoptes} Queensland, Australia
Larvae of Birch sawfly (Craesus septentrionalis) in alarm position, Upper Bavaria, Germany. October
Eastern tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) female, Yarra River corridor in suburban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in mid-summer
Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas) with tongue extended, captive, from Papua New Guinea
Bullseye / Io moth (Automeris io) showing eye spot markings on wings during deimatic display to deter predators, photographed on a white background, originating from North and Central America
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica) ejecting venom Kruger, South Africa, Controlled conditions
Chinese cobra (Naja atra) in threat stance, Shek Pik, southwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China
Sawfly larvae (Nematus pavidus) defensive posture, Peatlands Park, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. September
Peacock mantis (Pseudempusa pinnapavonis) in defensive posture; captive occurs in Burma and Thailand
Calabar burrowing boa snake (Calabaria reinhardtii) in defensive ball, captive, occurs equatorial rain forest of West and central Africa. Head and tail are very similar
Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) in defensive posture showing warning colours, on dried soil with mud cracks, Lower Saxony, Germany. August
Bombardier Beetle (Pheropsophus jessoensis) protecting itself by ejecting a boiling, noxious chemical spray, Nagasaki, Japan
Juvenile of Amazon Tree-Boa (Corallus hortulanus) in defensive position. Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador
Cat gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus) with coiled tail, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Peacock praying mantis (Pseudempusa pinnapavonis) female in defensive display with colourful wings. Captive, found in Thailand
Tropical shield mantis (Choeradodis rhombicollis) in defensive position, on flower, Chinambi, Carchi, Ecuador
Mount Lewis spiny crayfish (Euastacus fleckeri) in defensive posture with claw raised, at edge of mountain stream, Mount. Lewis, Wet Tropics World Heritage area, Queensland, Australia. Endangered
Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) hovering above a nest box it wants to nest in which a Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and its mate have occupied, with the squirrel threatening the bird, Wiltshire, UK
Black moray (Muraena augusti) and Tiger moray eels (Enchelycore anatina) peering out from a rock crevice with mouths open, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean
Spotted porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix), inflated with seawater, a defensive behaviour, Hawaii, Pacific Ocean
Frill-necked lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) threat display with neck frill extended, Cooktown, Queensland, Australia
Spotted Porcupine fish (Diodon hystrix) inflated, displaying defensive behaviour, North Pacific Ocean, Hawaii
Lamington spiny crayfish (Euastacus sulcatus) blue form, in leaf litter under tree roots with claws raised, rare crayfish that commonly forages away from water on the forest floor above 300m
Male Zander or Pikeperch (Stizostedion / Sander lucioperca) with mouth wide open, defending nest. Lake di Lugano or Ceresio, Ticino, Switzerland
Blotched blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea) female gaping with tongue out, in defense against perceived threat. Lake Tantangara, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
Magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) attacking Blue footed booby (Sula nebouxii) feeding chick. This bird is trying to steal the food from the parent. Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos
Saturniid moth (Automeris excreta) camouflaged in leaf litter, Guatemala
Boxer Crab (Lybia tessellata) with sea anemones in its claws for defense. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
African elephant charging (Loxodonta africana) female with young calf, Okavango Delta, Botswana
European barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena) and Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) circling baitball of Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) Formigas Islets, Azores
Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) female with large cubs (on right) trying to fight off rogue male. Karnataka, India, March
Sea cucumber (Bohadschia argus) which has ejected a part of its internal organs called Cuvierian tubules. These significantly sticky strings are a defense mechanism designed to deter predators
