Animal Planet :: Howloween :: Stylish Assassins

Stylish Assassins

Slick, handsome and cool as a cucumber, British movie hero James Bond always carries the grooviest gadgets for outsmarting the likes of Dr. Julius No and Auric Goldfinger. However, James might have some competition from our gallery of animal assassins: a shark that lashes its prey with a knife-like tail, a bird that nabs fish with its bladed beak and a mollusk that snaps a trap down on its prey quicker than you can say, "The name is Chiton — Veiled Chiton."

Each of these predators deserve The James Bond Citation for Most Stylish Assassin.

Thresher Shark
Measuring a total of nearly 20 feet from nose to tail, thresher sharks have tails as long as their bodies, which they use for hunting. Lashing the long, blade-like tails, thresher sharks work alone or in pairs to herd anchovies, mackerel and squid into masses. Once cornered, the fish are easy targets. A thresher may also slap and stun individual fish with this powerful weapon. Thresher sharks live in warm seas around the world.
Don't be afraid. Get a closer look. >>

Black Skimmer
Though it looks a bit like a seagull, the black skimmer prefers shoveling its prey from the water to begging for garbage on beaches. A skimmer eats by flying just above a smooth lake or river surface with its flat, blade-like beak open and its lower bill skimming the water. When it strikes a small fish or crustacean, the skimmer clamps the shorter upper bill down. Still flying, the bird pulls its head back to swallow the meal whole.
Don't be afraid. Get a closer look. >>

Veiled Chiton
Most chitons are rather boring, slow moving, algae-eating mollusks about the size of a chicken egg. The veiled chiton, however, has evolved a clever weapon. It uses a head flap, or veil, like a trap, keeping it propped at a 45-degree angle. When a small fish or crab swims under the veil — WHAM! The trap flaps down, and the chiton eats the prey with its rasping tongue. The veiled chiton lives under boulders and rock crevices along the Pacific coastline from Alaska to Southern California.
Don't be afraid. Get a closer look. >>

Pictures: Jeffrey Rotman/Corbis | Taxi/Getty Images| Courtesy of Kerry L. Werry |
Written by Amy E. Nevala

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