Watch Animals Defend Themselves by Puking

This week, the web series Gross Science really lives up to its name, highlighting all the animals that defend themselves against predators by vomiting everywhere. The video, spotted by Laughing Squid, discusses birds like the European roller, whose chicks spew a noxious-smelling orange bile when touched.

Grasshoppers can puke when they’re faced with predators, too, and it’s eating these bugs that gives the European roller its ability to vomit up chemicals foul enough to warn its parents that danger is near.

Other birds that utilize vomit to ward off danger include the fulmar, a sea bird that shoots a projectile stream of stomach oil at its enemies. The oil can hit targets up to 6 feet away, and is sticky enough to cling to feathers and prevent any birds on the receiving end from flying or floating.

And should you ever hang out with a camel, watch out for that spit. It’s not entirely saliva.

[h/t Laughing Squid]

Teaser image by David Grabovac via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0