Nature Stinks!

Nature Stinks!

Stinky Nature If you've ever smelled a skunk, you know it is not a nice odor. In fact, it's terrible! Did you know that both plants and animals can smell bad? Stinky plants usually smell bad to attract insects that help them reproduce. Animals give off odors to attract mates and keep other animals away. Whether plant or animal, nature's smelliest living things use odors to help them survive.

Stinky Furry Animals Skunks are probably the most famous smelly animals. They use their odor to keep enemies away. When an enemy gets near, a skunk growls and stomps its feet. If that doesn't scare the enemy away, look out! The skunk lifts its tail and sprays a terrible-smelling liquid. The liquid shoots out from the area near the base of its tail. Striped polecats may smell even worse than their skunk cousins. A striped polecat's spray can cause burning pain.

Skunks and striped polecats aren't the only stinky furry animals. The lesser anteater is four times stinkier than a skunk! It, too, shoots a smelly liquid from the area near the base of its tail. Then there's the opossum. An opossum will pretend to be dead--called " playing possum" --if an enemy is near. It stays still and releases stinky green slime.

A smelly liquid marks the spot where a wolverine has been. A wolverine, or " nasty cat, " also pees on saved food before hiding it. The smell helps the wolverine find the food later and keeps other animals from eating it.

The release of scent can be a warning as well. ale musk oxen fight each other to mate with females. Males use their stinky urine to tell other males to keep away. The urine sticks to their long belly hair and makes them smell terrible.