Extremely Gross Animals: Stinky, Slimy and Strange Animal Adaptations​

Extremely Gross Animals: Stinky, Slimy and Strange Animal Adaptations​ — page 3
Gross or Not-So-Gross An animal that eats poop known as feces in more polite company doesn’t consider it icky or disgusting Nor does an animal that willingly covers itself in snot So why are we humans grossed out by it In part it’s because we’re taught to be From the time we’re babies we’re told that some things are gross and disgusting And it’s a good lesson to learn since babies put everything they can reach into their mouths including things that can make them sick But our sense of what is gross isn’t entirely learned For example to us humans poop and vomit smell awful So do moldy fruit and rotting meat The smell of these things can make us feel queasy or dizzy which are physical responses so we avoid them And avoiding them is generally a good idea since all those things can make us sick In fact this useful sense of disgust might well have developed over millions of years of evolution because it helped keep humans alive But what disgusts us doesn’t necessarily disgust the animals in this book Many of these animals actually survive on revolting substances and thrive on gross habits Once you take a closer look what’s revolting and gross is often pretty fascinating You might even find the disgusting creatures in this book a bit less revolting once you get to know them So hold your nose and dive right in