Top 10 Hackers

The more we rely on technology, the more power hackers potentially have over us. Whether their intention is to help or to harm, hackers have the power (like it or not) to change the world. They may inspire fear, but over the years, we've learned a lot from their snooping and stealing.

No. 10 - The Deceptive Duo

 In 2002, the Deceptive Duo (really 20-year-old Benjamin Stark and 18-year-old Robert Lyttle) were responsible for a series of high-profile break-ins to government networks, including the U.S. Navy, NASA, FAA and Department of Defense. Like so many other hackers, California-based Lyttle and Florida-based claimed they were merely trying to expose security failures and protect Americans in a post-911 world. The two hackers posted messages, left email addresses and defaced Web sites in an attempt to get the government's attention...and get the government's attention, they did. Lyttle and Stark pleaded guilty in 2005. Stark was sentenced to two years probation, Lyttle served four months in prison with three years probation, and both were ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in restitution for the damage they caused.

  

No. 9 - Jonathan James (aka c0mrade)

 

On the list of computer systems you'd want to be really, really, really secure, the Department of Defense surely shows up, which makes Jonathan James' (aka c0mrade) break-in to the DoD's Defense Threat Reduction Agency server all the more impressive. James' 1999 spree included not only the DoD, but NASA as well. The then 16-year-old used his purveyed access to steal software, not defense secrets, but James still got into some dangerous territory, including software used to control the International Space Station's living environment. For his crimes, he served an abbreviated minor's sentence of six months and also had to pledge to give up computer use.

No. 8 - Dmitri Galushkevich

When pretty much the whole country of Estonia was suddenly caught up in Internet gridlock in May 2007, the very-small-but-very-tech-savvy former Soviet Republic thought they knew who to blame: the Russian government.At the time, the two countries were caught up in a series of riots over the removal of Soviet-era statues, but now it had gotten serious. The weapon of choice? A botnet.The hackers responsible for the cyberterror hijacked computers and used them, en masse, to overload servers across the country. ATM machines didn't work, Web pages didn't load, government systems were shut down.It took weeks for Estonian officials to untangle the mess and even longer for them to find the culprit: Dmitri Galushkevich, a 20-year-old ethnic Russian living in Estonia. Was he working alone? Unclear, but for wreaking this havoc, Galushkevich was fined 17,500 kroons. Or about $1,620.

 No. 7 - Kevin Poulsen (aka Dark Dante)

Today, Kevin Poulsen is an editor at tech-savvy Wired magazine, but back in the 1980s, he was just your average phone-phreaking, Porsche-driving hack.Poulsen gained some notoriety for a clever prank he played on Los Angeles radio station KIIS, in which he rigged the phones to allow only him to get through and win a trip to Hawaii and the aforementioned Porsche.Known as Dark Dante, Poulsen also took on more serious targets. His break-in to the FBI's database eventually led to his 1991 arrest and five years prison time. Since then, he's gone respectable, retiring to the editor's chair and using his cybersleuth powers for good deeds, like tracking sex offenders on MySpace.

No. 6 - John Draper

Draper is pretty much the granddaddy of hackers.Back in the early 1970s, he was the king of "phone phreaking," meaning he was playing the phone company. Back in the pre-Internet, pre-personal computer days, the phone system was the big computer to beat and Draper did it well.Draper's breakthrough came when he and a friend realized that a toy whistle, a giveaway in a breakfast cereal box, emitted the same frequency as the tones used by AT&T switches to route phone calls.Building off that, Draper made homemade devices, "blue boxes" that could get you all the long distance calls you wanted...for free. What did all this get him? Some time in prison, as well as the attention of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who wanted to get in on phone phreaking himself. Draper went on to write one of the first word-processing programs, EasyWriter, but now specializes in, go figure, security.

No. 5 - Raphael Gray (aka Curador)

Raphael Gray called himself a saint, insisting he was only trying to help e-commerce sites when he broke into their databases to steal credit card numbers and personal information from 26,000 or so American, British and Canadian customers in 2000. The then-18-year-old Welsh teenager insisted he was merely trying to draw attention to lax online security systems. So, if he was really just trying to help, then why did he post the card numbers online? Well, that's another question.Gray was sentenced in 2001 to three years of psychiatric treatment.

 No. 4 - Gary McKinnon (aka Solo) 

Scottish-born, London-based hacker McKinnon wasn't just in it for fun; he had a political axe to grind.Conspiracy-theorist McKinnon broke into computers at the U.S. Department of Defense, Army, Navy, Air Force and NASA sometime in 2001 and 2002. What exactly was he looking for? Evidence of really fuel-efficient alien spacecraft, for one.No joke.McKinnon believes the U.S. government was hiding alien technology that could solve the global energy crisis. Now, in the process of snooping around for this stuff, the self-taught hacker concedes he may have deleted a whole bunch of other files and maybe some hard drives as he attempted to cover up his tracks. Nothing significant, he insists.The U.S. government begs to differ, claiming McKinnon's hack job cost them $700,000 to fix. They also kind of doubt the whole UFO story and wonder if his snooping had more earthly intentions. Back in the U.K., Gary's lawyers insist that their client, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, deserves special mental health considerations.Gary himself has become a cause celebre, with his pending extradition being protested by celebrities like Sting.

No. 3 - Adrian Lamo

It's true that companies sometimes hire hackers to test their systems for weaknesses, but no one ever hired Adrian Lamo.In 2002 and 2003, Lamo broke into several high-profile targets, just for kicks. He then told the targets what he had been able to do and how he did it. How kind of him. Lamo's targets included Microsoft, Yahoo and the New York Times, where he inserted his contact info into their database of experts.Known as "the homeless hacker," Lamo slept in abandoned buildings and hacked via laptop from Internet cafes and public libraries. His network-busting technique of choice involved going in through the out door, entering sites through proxy access, a setup that corporations often use to let their computers connect out to the Internet. That led to his arrest in 2003.Lamo served two years probation and now works as a tech journalist.

No. 2 - Kevin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick started out just wanting a free ride on the bus.He came a long way from his hacks into the Los Angeles metropolitan bus system and early dabbling in phone fraud. Mitnick went on to become the most wanted computer hacker in the country, known (and wanted) primarily for his hack into Digital Equipment Corporation's network to steal their software.It may have been his first notable break-in, but Mitnick went on to other big targets, including cell phone giants Nokia and Motorola.Even his eventual arrest was notable: After hacking into fellow hacker Tsutomu Shimomura's computer, Mitnick was tracked down by Shimomura and the FBI in 1995.Today, Mitnick has served a five-year sentence and come clean, but he continues to profit off his former title, authoring books and working as a security consultant.

No. 1 - Robert Tappan Morris

Even if you know next to nothing about computer viruses, you've probably heard of "worms." That's because news stories about this particularly contagious (and therefore destructive) breed of virus abound.Blame Robert Tappan Morris for it all.Back in 1988, while a graduate student at Cornell University, Morris created the first worm and released it on the Internet. He claimed it was all an experiment gone awry, a test to see how big the then-new Internet was. The worm turned out to be more than a test: it replicated quickly, slowing computers to the point of non-functionality and virtually crippling the Internet. He was eventually fined and sentenced to three years probation.Since then, he's earned his Ph.D. from Harvard and made millions designing software. Today, he's a computer science professor at MIT. Not bad.

Happy Chanukah, or whatever!

Chanukah, which is how I was brought up to spell it, is often considered the Jewish version of Christmas. It begins at sundown tonight, and continues for 8 nights. From Wikipedia:

Hanukkah also romanized as Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December.

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night.

From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", Hanukkah marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem (Second Temple) after its desecration by the forces of the King of Syria Antiochus IV Epiphanes and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.

In my house, Chanukah is celebrated with my children and their friends, and lots of fried foods, along with some smoked salmon, smoked meats, and dreidels! It's a wonderful, happy holiday.

"Bon-Bon" Published 1832

"Bon-Bon" is a comedic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in December 1832 in the Philadelphia Saturday Courier. Originally called "The Bargain Lost," the story follows a man named Pierre Bon-Bon, who believes himself a profound philosopher, and his encounter with the devil. The humor of the story is based on the verbal interchange between the two, which satirizes classical philosophers including Plato and Aristotle. The devil reveals he has eaten the souls of many of these philosophers, intriguing Bon-Bon.

The story, which received moderate praise, was originally submitted by Poe as "The Bargain Lost," and was his entry to a writing contest. Though none of the five stories he submitted won the prize, the Courier printed them all, possibly without paying Poe for them. This early version of the story has many differences from later versions, which Poe first published as "Bon-Bon" in 1835.

Plot summary

Pierre Bon-Bon is a well-known French restaurant owner and chef, known both for his omelettes and for his metaphysical philosophies. The narrator describes him as profound and a man of genius, as even the man's cat knew. Bon-Bon, who has "an inclination for the bottle", is drinking on a snowy winter night around midnight when he hears a voice. He recognizes it as the devil himself, appearing in a black suit in the style of the previous century, though it was a bit too small for him. He wore green spectacles, had a stylus behind one ear, and a large black book in his breast-pocket. Bon-Bon shook his hand and offered him a seat.

The two engage in conversation, Bon-Bon pressing the devil for a philosophical exchange. He hoped to "elicit some important ethical ideas" which Bon-Bon could publish and make himself famous. Bon-Bon learns that the devil has never had eyes but the devil is convinced his vision is better and "more penetrating" than Bon-Bon's. In fact, the devil reveals he can see the thoughts of others and, as he puts it, "my vision is the soul."

The two share several bottles of wine until Bon-Bon cannot speak without hiccuping. The devil explains how he eats souls and gives a long list of famous philosophers he has "eaten" as well as his assessment of how each tasted. When Bon-Bon suggests that his own soul is qualified for a stew or soufflé, Bon-Bon offers it to his visitor. The devil refusing, says he could not take advantage of the man's "disgusting and ungentlemanly" drunken state. As the devil leaves, Bon-Bon in his disappointment tries to throw a bottle at him. Before he can, however, the lamp above his head comes loose and hits him on the head, knocking him out.

Themes and analysis

Like many of Poe's early tales, "Bon-Bon" was, as Poe wrote, "intended for half banter, half satire"[1] and explores attempts at surviving death.[2] Poe pokes fun at the pretentiousness of scholars by having his character make references to classic Greek and Latin authors, only to hear their souls have been eaten.[3] The comedy in the story is verbal, based on turns of phrase, funny euphemisms, and absurd names.[2]

The phrase "Bonbon" stems from the French word "bon," literally meaning "good," and is often used to describe sweet eatables. Poe examines the Greek tradition of the soul as Pneuma, an internal flame which converts food into a substance that passes into the blood.[4] As the narrator of "Bon-Bon" says, "I am not sure, indeed, that Bon-Bon greatly disagreed with the Chinese, who held that the soul lies in the abdomen. The Greeks at all events were right, he thought, who employed the same words for the mind and the diaphragm."

Among the devil's list of victims are the souls of Plato, Aristophanes, Catullus, Hippocrates, Quintilian[5] and "François Marie Arouet," the real name of Voltaire.[3] As Bon-Bon is offering his own soul, the devil sneezes, referring to a prior moment when the devil says that men dispel bad ideas by sneezing.[6]

Critical response

An editorial in the Philadelphia Saturday Courier thanked Poe for submitting the stories. The writer, presumably editor Lambert A. Wilmer, said that "we have read these tales every syllable, with the greatest pleasure, and for originality, richness of imagery and purity of the style, few American authors in our opinion have produced any thing superior."[7] A reviewer in the Winchester Republication wrote that "Mr. Poe's Bon-Bon is quite a unique and racy affair." William Gwynn, editor of the Baltimore Gazette, wrote that the story "sustains the well established reputation of the author as a writer possessing a rich imaginative genius, and a free, flowing and very happy style."[8]

Publication history

Poe originally submitted "Bon-Bon" to the Philadelphia Saturday Courier under the title "The Bargain Lost" as an entry to a writing contest. Poe also submitted four other tales: "Metzengerstein," "The Duke de L'Omelette," "A Tale of Jerusalem," and "A Decided Loss".[9] Though none of his entries won the $100 prize, the editors of the Courier were impressed enough that they published all of Poe's stories over the next few months.[1] "The Bargain Lost" was published on December 1, 1831, though it is unclear if Poe was paid for its publication.[10] There were several differences between this version and later versions: originally, the main character was named Pedro Garcia, his encounter was not with the devil himself but with one of his messengers, and the story takes place in Venice rather than France.[11] Poe retitled the story "Bon-Bon—A Tale" when it was republished in the Southern Literary Messenger in August 1835.[12] It was later published as part of Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque in 1845.[13]

The original epigraph preceding the story was from William Shakespeare's As You Like It: "The heathen philosopher, when he had a mind to eat a grape, would open his lips when he put it into his mouth, meaning thereby that grapes were made to eat and lips to open." Poe's final version of the story had a longer epigraph in verse from Les Premiers Traits de l'erudition universelle (The Most Important Characteristics of Universal Wisdom) by Baron Bielfeld.[14]

Adaptations

"Bon-Bon" has not been adapted for the screen but a rewritten version was performed off Broadway in 1920.[11]

References

1.^ Meyers, Jeffrey (1992). Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. New York: Cooper Square Press. pp. 64. ISBN 0-8154-1038-7.
2.^ Silverman, Kenneth (1991). Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 89. ISBN 0-06-092331-8.
3.^ Quinn, Arthur Hobson (1998) [1941]. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 194. ISBN 0-8018-5730-9.
4.^ Jones, Ernest (1951). Essays in Applied Psychoanalysis. London: Hogarth. pp. 297. OCLC 220544756.
5.^ Silverman, Kenneth (1991). Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 90. ISBN 0-06-092331-8.
6.^ Leverenz, David (2001). "Spanking the Master: Mind-Body Crossings in Poe's Sensationalism". In J. Gerald Kennedy (ed.). A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 103. ISBN 0-195-12150-3.
7.^ Quinn, Arthur Hobson (1998) [1941]. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 194–195. ISBN 0-8018-5730-9.
8.^ Thomas, Dwight; David K. Jackson (1987). The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe 1809–1849. Boston: G. K. Hall. pp. 174. ISBN 0-8161-8734-7.
9.^ Quinn, Arthur Hobson (1998) [1941]. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 191–192. ISBN 0-8018-5730-9.
10.^ Quinn, Arthur Hobson (1998) [1941]. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 195. ISBN 0-8018-5730-9.
11.^ Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z. New York: Checkmark Books. pp. 31. ISBN 0-8160-4161-X.
12.^ Dwight Jackson. The Poe Log, p. 168.
13.^ Quinn, Arthur Hobson (1998) [1941]. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 457. ISBN 0-8018-5730-9.
14.^ Sova, Dawn B. (2001). Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z. New York: Checkmark Books. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-8160-4161-X.

Deathday: Poet & Occultist Aleister Crowley 1947

Aleister Crowley (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947), born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. Through this belief he came to see himself as the prophet who was entrusted with informing humanity that it was entering the new Aeon of Horus in 1904, a time when old ethical and religious systems would be replaced. Widely seen as one of the most influential occultists of all time, he was a member of the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as a co-founder of the A∴A∴ and eventually a leader of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). He is known today for his magical writings, especially The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema, although he also wrote widely on other subjects, including a large amount of fiction and poetry.
Crowley was also a bisexual, recreational drug experimenter and social critic. In many of these roles he "was in revolt against the moral and religious values of his time," espousing a form of libertinism based upon the rule of "Do What Thou Wilt." Because of this, he gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, and was denounced in the popular press of the day as "the wickedest man in the world." Alongside his esoteric activities, he was an avid chess player, mountaineer, poet and playwright, and it has also been alleged that he was a spy for the British government.

Crowley has remained an influential figure right up till this day, and in 2002, a BBC poll described him as being the seventy-third greatest Briton of all time. References to him can be found in the works of numerous writers, musicians and filmmakers, and he has also been cited as a key influence on many later esoteric groups and individuals, including Kenneth Grant, Gerald Gardner and, to some degree, Austin Osman Spare.

Death

An old Aleister CrowleyIn January 1945, Crowley moved to Netherwood, a Hastings boarding house where in the first three months he was visited twice by Dion Fortune; she died of leukemia in January 1946. On 14 March 1945, in a letter Fortune wrote to Crowley, she declares: "... The acknowledgement I made in the introduction of The Mystical Qabalah of my indebtness to your work, which seemed to me to be no more than common literary honesty, has been used as a rod for my back by people who look on you as Antichrist."

Crowley died at Netherwood on December, 1 1947 at the age of 72. According to one biographer the cause of death was a respiratory infection. He had become addicted to heroin after being prescribed morphine for his asthma and bronchitis many years earlier. He and his last doctor died within 24 hours of each other; newspapers would claim, in differing accounts, that Dr. Thomson had refused to continue his opiate prescription and that Crowley had put a curse on him.

Biographer Lawrence Sutin passes on various stories about Crowley's death and last words. Frieda Harris supposedly reported him saying, "I am perplexed," though she did not see him at the very end. According to John Symonds, a Mr. Rowe witnessed Crowley's death along with a nurse, and reported his last words as "Sometimes I hate myself." Biographer Gerald Suster accepted the version of events he received from a "Mr W.H." who worked at the house, in which Crowley dies pacing in his living room. Supposedly Mr W.H. heard a crash while polishing furniture on the floor below, and entered Crowley's rooms to find him dead on the floor.

Patricia "Deirdre" MacAlpine, who visited Crowley with their son and her three other children, denied all this and reports a sudden gust of wind and peal of thunder at the (otherwise quiet) moment of his death. According to MacAlpine, Crowley remained bedridden for the last few days of his life, but was in light spirits and conversational. Readings at the cremation service in nearby Brighton included one of his own works, Hymn to Pan, and newspapers referred to the service as a black mass. The Brighton council subsequently resolved to take all the necessary steps to prevent such an incident from occurring again.

Top 10 Amazing Animal Weapons

Did you know the most dangerous animal in the world is the human? With an arsenal of weapons and high-tech gear, we have mastered the ability to defend ourselves against most threats.

But you might be surprised to learn many animals also are capable of defending themselves without delivering a single bite. From a beetle that sprays boiling hot acid at its enemies, to a fish with shooting skills that make a rifle seem mundane, many animals are naturally equipped with impressive -- and somewhat strange -- weaponry. These creatures don't just point and shoot, but often put their whole bodies into defending their territory or family. Armor up! It's time to learn about animal warfare.

10. Humpback Whale

When one of the largest mammals of the sea is looking for a really large meal, just one or two fish won't do. The humpback whale often will gather a few of his fellow humpbacks, and employ a rather ingenious method to catch a fish buffet. The whales begin by circling a group of fish, and then they exhale a stream of air to trap the fish in a kind of net made of bubbles. This net is surprisingly strong and capable of catching fish just like a real net. Once the fish are trapped, the humpback whales take turns diving to the bottom of the net, and then quickly swim right through it with their mouths wide open, taking in a very large feast in one fell swoop. The humpbacks repeat this process until their whale-sized appetites are satisfied, making the buffet lines most people go to seem pretty benign.  

 

 Spitting Spider

Spiderman uses his web-slinging powers to jump and swing from building to building, but these fantastic abilities might meet their match in those of the spitting spider. At first glance, this eight-legged crawler, with its slow gait and poor eyesight, doesn't seem like much of a threat. But looks are deceiving, as this spider has something no other arachnid has: the ability to spit a glue-like substance at his prey. The spitting spider has two stomachs, one that holds silk for web building and another that holds the sticky spit. When this predator discovers a tasty snack, it will first spit on its prey at lightening fast speeds of 1/600th of a second, which holds the victim in place while the spider delivers a killer bite. 

 Whip Scorpion

The whip scorpion, named for its thin tail that resembles a leather whip, grows only to about 3 inches (18 centimeters) long and isn't nearly as dangerous as more common scorpion species. In fact, this scorpion doesn't have pinschers or venom, and its tail doesn't sting. But the whip scorpion does have something other scorpion species don't have: acid. If the whip scorpion senses danger, it will whip its tail around and deliver a stream of pungent fluid from its anal glands. While the fluid isn't poisonous, it is caustic enough to make most predators back off -- or at least hesitate -- giving the whip scorpion time to get out of Dodge.

 

 

Malaysian Ant
Most people are familiar with the fire ant and its painful sting, but that red insect might seem tame when you consider its cousin, the Malaysian ant. Also known as the exploding ant, this little insect really takes its job as a soldier to the extreme. The Malaysian ant is as tiny as any ordinary ant, but built to serve and protect the rest of the colony. Considered a soldier ant, its insides are packed with poisonous sacks from its head all the way down its back. When a predator appears, the ant will contract its muscles to build up the poison. Then, similar to a pressure cooker, it explodes, spraying the toxins on the threat. The predator can die from the poison, or if it's large enough to survive, it will think twice before approaching another ant in the area. But the Malaysian ant dies as well, giving its life and limbs for the greater good of the ant colony.

Skunk

These black mammals with a white stripe have earned the title of world's smelliest animal, perhaps in part due to the legendary Pepé le Pew, from the long-running cartoon series, "Looney Tunes." Pepé was always portrayed with a trail of eau de reek following behind him while he chased after Penelope Pussycat, but as with most things on television, this isn't an entirely accurate depiction. According to the Humane Society of the United States, these misunderstood creatures don't naturally smell bad and only drop a stink bomb when threatened. Even then, they will give a few warning signals -- like hissing, stamping their feet, or lifting their tails in the air -- before letting their musk loose. Skunks' noxious spray can travel as far as 10 feet (3 meters), but they only have enough spray for five to six uses before they need to replenish the supply, which can take up to 10 days. While its spray isn't lethal, a skunk's stench is enough to make any predator evacuate the area, and the smell lingers for days, which can make the unfortunate recipient of the spray very uncomfortable.

 

 

Archer Fish

The archer fish is the sharp shooter of rivers, and a jet of water is its weapon. With precise aim, this fish is able to take out any insect within a few feet using nothing but water squirted from its mouth. Mostly found in Asia, the archer fish averages only 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length and has a flat body and head. Its mouth is slanted upward, which is advantageous when it jumps up to grab land-based bugs. This fish usually swims just below the water's surface, and when it spots prey that's within range, it adjusts its eyes like a scope, so the insect lines up horizontally. Then, the fish's lips just barely break the water's surface as it shoots a jet of water at the victim. This powerful water stream can reach up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) away. The archer fish almost always hits its targets with one shot, instantly killing grasshoppers, spiders and other insects. If a bug is close enough, the fish will forgo the squirting and simply leap out of the water and grab the insect with its mouth instead.

 

Horned Lizard

The horned lizard is equipped with so many defense tactics, it could be considered the defense secretary of all animal species. Like a chameleon, its skin color can adapt to many of nature's backgrounds, including the desert it calls home. These reptiles can even look like rocks, thanks to their coloration and horned backs. When hiding in plain sight doesn't work, its next defense is to puff up its body to make itself look bigger and less appetizing to a potential predator. If that doesn't stop an enemy in its tracks, then the horned lizard goes for the coup de gras -- squirting blood out of its eyes. In order to do this, a horned lizard restricts blood flow to the rest of its body, increasing blood pressure in the head, which ruptures vessels in its eyelids. It's able to aim the blood gusher with precision from up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) away. While the blood isn't poisonous, it does seem to confuse predators and tastes pretty bad.

Bombardier Beetle

Since beetles aren't able to fly away in a split-second like other insects, they require other tools to defend themselves against enemies. The bombardier beetle in particular is outfitted with some serious defense mechanisms, including an armored body that protects it from the elements. But it’s the boiling hot liquid sprayed from its stomach that is most effective against predators. Inside the beetle's abdomen are two chemical-filled chambers that, when combined, create an acid that heats up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) and then sprays out in an explosive manner through the abdominal wall. And if the spray isn't enough to scare off any animal, this beetle also makes a sound like a gunshot once it unleashes an acid bath on its predator.

 

Hagfish

The hagfish, found in most of the world's oceans, makes a really big mess to ward off would-be predators. When this fish is feeling stressed or senses harm, it releases a thick slime that acts as a protective coating. Once the threat is gone, the hagfish ties itself into a knot and then twists its way back out of it, scraping the slime away, or else it could suffocate on its own gunk. These little slimers only grow to be about 15 inches (40 centimeters) long and the width of a thumb, but can release up to a liter (.2 gallons) of slime in about one second, says marine biologist Douglas Fudge. Should a predatory fish decide to take its chances on this gooey creature, it would soon have regrets, since the slime oozes out of a hagfish as soon as it's bitten. The attacking fish would soon have gills full of goo and quickly choke to death. 

Electric Eel

Normally, water and high voltage don't mix. But for one underwater creature, the combination is positively electrifying. Electric eels might share the same name and traits as true eels, but they're considered to be more closely related to catfish. Found throughout South America in muddy-bottomed rivers or basins, electric eels can grow to be more than 8 feet (2.5 meters) long. They are normally dark green or gray, which helps them blend in with their environment, but their most valuable asset is truly shocking. Their organs contain special cells called "electrocytes" that effectively turn them into batteries. The eels use these electric organs to sense foreign objects and smaller fish that might make a good meal. To feed, they will deliver small shocks to fish, rendering their victims paralyzed. While their prey is still alive, but unable to move, the eels will suck them up like spaghetti noodles. When they sense a threat, they can release about 600 volts of power to the predator, which knocks most enemies dead. When you consider that the average U.S. wall outlet only carries about 100 volts, it's clear that -- like many of the other creatures on this countdown -- the electric eel packs quite a punch.