You’re Getting Too Close! (Defensive Displays in the Animal Kingdom)
Learning to read defensive displays could save you a lot of grief.
So, as I was observing a paper wasp nest this week, I was thinking about people, particularly their fears, their perceptions, and their lack of sensitivity to the natural world.
I have noticed that many of us seem to be incapable of interpreting the body language of other organisms. Most animals communicate through cues and signals. Many other animals are capable of interpreting these cues, even across species. It sometimes seems that humans are the only ones oblivious to these things as if we require that warnings be given only in our native tongue.
Despite some people’s tendency to label various species as aggressive, animals do not typically go around picking random fights with other animals many times their size. If they did, they would not live very long. Many will, however, employ various defense mechanisms at their disposal when necessary. These responses take many forms, such as biting, stinging, emitting foul odors, urinating, employing spines or itchy hairs, and many others. Some animals that do not have strong defenses also exhibit various bluffing techniques (this is known as deimatic behavior).
One of the species I teach people about the most is snakes. Much of the fear people have about animals, including snakes, stems from not understanding when and why they might harm a person. Luckily, the main rule for snakes is the same as it is with almost every other multi-celled animal on the planet. Simply leave the animal alone and you will be fine. Of course, this should be combined with maintaining situational awareness when outdoors- many injuries occur when someone inadvertently triggers a defensive response, such as stepping on a snake if you are not watching where you are going.
However, if you do have reason to be around animals, such as taking nature photos or simply because you don’t want to kill the wildlife that lives on your property, it is not impossible (or even terribly difficult) to become sensitive to these cues. Honestly, just looking for them is often enough to spot them.
In the photo above, we see a harmless snake who is facing a potential threat. It has decided that the person with the camera might catch it if it tries to flee, so it is trying to look as big and scary as possible. It is poised for a strike, if necessary. Note that it is not chasing the person; it is still hoping that the encounter does not escalate further.
These paper wasps are facing the person that has approached their nest. They have their wings raised, again trying to look as “big” as possible. If that doesn’t work, they might “dive bomb” the threat to try to chase it away or sting the perceived threat. Remember- these animals are not “mean,” they are simply trying to defend their young, which is perfectly respectable.
This skunk has its tail raised and the spider below has its legs raised. You see a theme here, I hope. All of these animals are trying to look as imposing as possible, but have not yet employed their defenses.
They are all hoping to avoid a fight. Cottonmouths may gape, rattlesnakes may rattle, other snakes may hiss or vibrate their tails, many snakes make feinting motions as if they are going to strike, and so on.
These animals are all trying to bridge the language barrier by using signs and signals that, to almost any other animal on the planet, would be interpreted as a clear and polite warning. These signs really should not need a secret decoder ring to decipher. It is only the basest of beasts that wantonly kills everything around them to avoid the trouble of learning to cooperate with the natural world (yes, I am talking about humans).
The main takeaway here is that animals want to get home safe, just like you. We all have the same goal. You needn’t fear the wildlife that shares your world, but you should attempt to be sensitive to the fact that they have their own lives and motivations. Hopefully, the naturalist in all of us takes over and we begin to find all of our natural heritage fascinating and worth preserving.
The dramas unfolding all around you are often far more interesting than any Hollywood plot. Learn to recognize defensive displays and let knowledge reduce your trepidation at sharing your space with other life forms, even if they don’t speak English!
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You can also follow our wildlife center on Facebook, join our Snake Identification Group, or download the book that this article came from, A Primer on Reptiles & Amphibians: A Collection of Educational Nature Bulletins, from our website.
The shortlink for this article is bit.ly/defensive-displays
