Page 17 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

SKUNK
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the striped
skunk may be, but if it aims its bottom
your way, hightail it out of there. A skunk SWAN
can spray a toxic cocktail of smelly When these beautiful birds glide
chemicals from a pair of glands near up to their partners, the curves
its anus that can temporarily blind you, in their necks match to form
and the stinky stench can make you vomit. a heart shape. Yet serene can turn
to mean in an instant, especially
if a swan’s babies are threatened.
They can strike people with their
huge heavy wings and snip them
with their sharp beaks.

PLATYPUS
The platypus, with a duck bill, otter feet,
and a beaver tail on a furry body, is an odd
combination of cute and ugly. And it is certainly
capable of some fairly ugly behavior: when
a male platypus kicks its enemies, hollow
spurs in its legs release a poison that is
strong enough to kill small animals
and cause humans months of
agonizing muscle spasms.

OTTER
Darting through river waters, these sleek critters appear to play
all day, but during the mating season they like to play rough.
The aggressive males can attack and kill pet dogs, gnawing
at them with their teeth. You otter stay away from them.

ANIMALS WITH A NASTY STREAK 17
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.