The explosion of is an uncommon event arising from natural causes or human activity. Among the best known examples are the post-mortem Exploding whale, either as a result of natural decomposition or deliberate attempts at Carrion disposal.[Steven Hackstadt, The Evidence, TheExplodingWhale.com Accessed November 7, 2005; The Infamous Exploding Whale perp.com, Accessed June 6, 2005] Other instances of exploding animals are defensive in nature or the result of human intervention.
Causes of explosions
Natural explosions can occur for a variety of reasons.
Post-mortem explosions, like that of a
beached whale, are the result of the build-up of natural gases created by methane-producing bacteria inside the carcass during the decomposition process.
[" Sperm whale explodes in Taiwanese City," eTaiwan News, January 27, 2004 (accessed November 17, 2006)] Natural explosions which occur while an animal is living may be defense-related. A number of
in
Germany and
Denmark exploding toad in April 2005.
[" Mystery of German exploding toads," BBC News, April 27, 2005 (accessed November 17, 2006)] The
Los Angeles Herald in 1910 reported a
duck which exploded after consuming yeast.
Weaponization
Various
military attempts have been made to use animals as delivery systems for weapons. In
Song dynasty China, oxen carrying large explosive charges were used as self-propelled explosive missiles.
During World War II the
United States investigated the use of "
", or
carrying small incendiary bombs,
[ The Bat Bombers , C. V. Glines, Journal of the Airforce Association, October 1990, Vol. 73, No. 10 (accessed November 17, 2006)] while at the same time the
Soviet Union developed the "
anti-tank dog" for use against German
.
[ Dog Anti-Tank Mine , Soviet-Empire.com (accessed November 17, 2006)] Other attempts have included the so-called "
kamikaze dolphins", intended to seek out and destroy submarines and enemy warships.
[ Iran buys kamikaze dolphins, BBC News, Wednesday, 8 March 2000, 16:45 GMT] There have also been a number of documented incidents of animal-borne bomb attacks, in which
,
or
were used to deliver bombs.
[ Leave the Animals in Peace: PETA's letter to Yasser Arafat February 3, 2003.PETA][ Dogs of war can be friend or foe August 12, 2005. The Standard (originally from Los Angeles Times)]
Examples
Ants
Some insects explode altruistically, at the expense of the individual in defense of its
ant colony; the process is called
autothysis. Several species of
, such as
Camponotus saundersi in southeast
Asia, can explode at will to protect their nests from intruders.
[ Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts About How Animals Adapt , Joanne Settel, Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon& Schuster, New York, NY, 1999 ] C. saundersi, a species of carpenter ant, can self-destruct by autothysis. Two oversized, poison-filled mandibular glands run the entire length of the ant's body. When combat takes a turn for the worse, the ant violently contracts its abdominal muscles to rupture its body and spray poison in all directions. Likewise, many species of
, such as
Globitermes sulphureus, have members, deemed the soldier class, who can split their bodies open emitting a noxious and sticky chemical for the same reason.
Cows
In January 1932, the
Townsville Daily Bulletin, an Australian newspaper, reported an incident where a
dairy cow was partially blown up and died on a farm at Kennedy Creek (near Cardwell,
North Queensland). The cow had reputedly picked up a
blasting cap in her mouth while grazing in a paddock. This was only triggered later, when the cow began to chew her
cud, at a time when she was in the process of being
Milking. The cow had its head blown off by the resulting explosion, and the farmer milking the cow was knocked unconscious.
[ "Was it suicide?: A moo-cow's end" – Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld.: 1907–1954), 15 January 1932. Accessed 5 June 2015.]
Rats
The
explosive rat, also known as a rat bomb, was a weapon developed by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in World War II for use against Germany. Rat carcasses were filled with plastic explosives, and were to be distributed near German boiler rooms, where it was expected they would be disposed of by burning, with the subsequent explosion having a chance of causing a boiler explosion. The explosive rats never saw use, as the first shipment was intercepted by the Germans; however, the resulting search for more booby trapped rats consumed enough German resources for the SOE to conclude that the operation was a success.
Toads
In April 2005,
in the Altona district of Hamburg were observed by nature protection officials to swell up with
and explode, propelling their innards for distances of up to one meter.
These incidents prompted local residents to refer to the area's lake—home to the toads—as . The incidents were reported as occurring with greatest frequency between 2 and 3 a.m. Werner Smolnik, an environmental movement worker, stated that at least 1,000 toads had died in this manner over the span of a few days. According to Smolnik, the toads expanded to three and a half times their normal size before blowing up.
The toads were noted to live a short time after exploding.
Initial theories had included a virus or fungus infection, possibly one also affecting foreign involved in horse racing at a nearby track. However, laboratory tests were unable to detect an infectious agent.[
]
Mutschmann's theory was dismissed as unlikely by an ornithologist. The official report filed the incident as lacking a satisfactory explanation.
See also
