Burrow defense

Are these toxic compounds of urodeles effective against predators Shorttailed shrews [Blarina hrevicauda) prey on these animals their burrows often contain the remains of salamanders. Laboratory tests confirmed that their chemical defenses are effective noxious species of salamanders took the shrews longer to kill and had a higher survival rate than non-toxic species. The shrews needed more time to kill the toxic salamanders, and wiped their mouths more often (Brodie etal, 1979). 

The blind snake Leptotyphlops dulcis is a specialized burrower that feeds on termites and ant brood. It follows the ant pheromone trails to find its prey (Section 12.1). when attacked by ants, this snake tilts its scales individually so that the skin appears silvery. While it writhes, it covers itself with feces and a clear viscous fluid, discharged from the anus. It may also assume a stationary coiled position. when it resumes searching and feeding, it is no longer attacked by ants. The effect lasts from 3 to 30 minutes (Gehlbach etal., 1968). Here a predatory species protects itself from the defensive actions of its prey. 

Blanchard DC, Griebel G, Blanchard RJ (2001a) Mouse defensive behavior pharmacological and behavioral assays for anxiety and panic. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 25 205-218 Blanchard DC, Hynd AL, Minke KA, Minemoto T, Blanchard RJ (2001b) Human defense behaviors to threat scenarios show parallels to fear- and anxiety-related defense patterns of non-human mammals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 25 761-770 Blanchard DC, Griebel G, Blanchard RJ (2003) The mouse defense test battery pharmacological and behavioral assays for anxiety and panic. Eur J Pharmacol 463 97-116 Blanchard RJ, Blanchard DC (1989) Anti-predator defense behaviors in a visible burrow system. J Comp Psychol 103 70-82... 

More extensive information on the defense functions of the lung can be found in the excellent books and reviews (Netter, 1979 Burrows et al., 1983 Brain et al., 1977 Green et al, 1977 Leith, 1968 Maklem, 1974) that provided the background for the subject in this article. 

The second example shows how fiddler crabs that are burrow residents sometimes build chimneys around their burrows that conceal both the burrow entrance and themselves (Table 16.1, Fig. 16.Id). Chimney building is known in at least 22 of the 97 recognized species of fiddler crabs (Rosenberg 2001 21 species listed by Shih et al. 2005, plus U. beebei, J. Christy, unpublished). There is considerable variation in the sex, reproductive status, and sizes of crabs that build chimneys, how they are built, their shape, and how often and when they are built. Chimneys may have additional, and perhaps, multiple functions (e.g., for defense Salmon 1987). 

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