Creatures with AMAZING Armor

From rhinos, fish and crocodiles … to porcupines, lizards and armadillos … Here are 16 awesome animals with amazing armor! Subscribe to Talltanic http://goo.gl/wgfvrr #7 Fish (scale armor) Like we mentioned earlier with the Alligator Gar, fish have scales that can be used as armor. Some even have spines that are used for this purpose. Some other fish with tough, armor like skin include the Arapaima. The torpedo shaped animal is native to South America … and its skin is covered with large, scales that are so hard that even a piranha can’t bite through it … and could even fracture their teeth! That has led researchers to develop new armor for use in the military, based on the arapaima skin. Experts think the body armor would not only be flexible, but could withstand the impact of knives and bullets. Arapaima, along with other fish, have a soft elastic layer underneath their outer layer of hard scales .. which allows their skin to remain flexible. In addition to lightweight body armor, scientists also think the new material could be used for spacesuits. #5 Snakes Like many of their fellow reptiles, snakes have their own type of scale armor. The protective covering allows them to slither over surfaces that are hot or rough -- or both. Their scales are the result of layers of cells that are stacked one atop another. The top layer protects the ones underneath. Did you know that snakes have no eyelids? Instead, have transparent scales that cover their eyes, to protect them from harm. You could say they have armored eyes! #4 Rhinos They’re some of the largest mammals on the planet … and are known for physical characteristics like their horns and thick, protective skin. While all rhinos have the armor like epidermis, only one species actually looks like it could be wearing armor. The one-horned Indian Rhinoceros is a big beast, weighing more than 7,000 pounds. And the deep folds of its skin give the hide a segmented appearance … making it look like natural body armor. Supple skin between the thick plates allows them to shift as the animal moves. #3 Armadillo You know this animal for its behavior of rolling up into a ball to protect itself from predators. But while all species of armadillos have protective bony plates, only one species actually rolls up into a ball. The Three Banded Armadillo of South America is known to rely heavily on its armor to protect itself. It won’t run away or fight. Its armor rolls up and snaps shut, similar to a trap, and completely encloses the animal. Once the predator has departed, the armadillo moves on about its business. In all, two species of the three banded armadillo exhibit this ability … other species have too many plates to assume the position. So most of them will simply run away when threatened. Did you know that in Spanish, ‘armadillo’ means, “little armored one”? #2 Offensive Armor While doing our research, we found that armor is not only defined as a means of defensive protection. Armor can also be used in an offensive capacity … that is, as a way for the animal to take the fight to its aggressor. With that in mind, you probably wouldn’t expect to see animals like birds or deer on this sort of list. But those animals provide for some examples of Offensive Armor, which they can use to attack their attackers.. So, animals like Rhinos have defensive armor, like their hides … but their offensive armor is provided by their horns. In the case of birds, their beaks and talons would serve as offensive armor. And with the largest talons of any living eagle (in addition to its beak), the Harpy Eagle would be pretty well armored. The offensive armor of deer would include their hooves and antlers … the Moose is the largest member of the deer family with sharp, pointed hooves and big, planklike antlers they can use to discourage unwanted aggressors. Did you know those antlers can spread more than 80 inches … and can weigh more than 75 pounds! Can you think of more examples of offensive armor? #1...