278:(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.
356:
214:, 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
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to the area. According to his theory, crows attacked the toads and picked out their livers through the skin between their chests and abdominal cavities. As a defensive mechanism, the toads enlarged themselves, but due to the hole in their body and their missing liver, their blood vessels and lungs
308:
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.
76:, are the result of the build-up of natural gases created by methane-producing bacteria inside the carcass during the decomposition process. Natural explosions which occur while an animal is living may be defense-related. A number of
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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
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Mutschmann's theory was dismissed as unlikely by an ornithologist. The official report filed the incident as lacking a satisfactory explanation.
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304:, 'Pool of Death'. The incidents were reported as occurring with greatest frequency between 2 and 3 a.m. Werner Smolnik, an
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dolphins", intended to seek out and destroy submarines and enemy warships. There have also been a number of documented incidents of
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543:, C. V. Glines, Journal of the Airforce Association, October 1990, Vol. 73, No. 10 (accessed November 17, 2006)
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is an uncommon event arising through natural causes or human activity. Among the best known examples are the
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disposal. Other instances of exploding animals are defensive in nature or the result of human intervention.
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in her mouth while grazing in a paddock. This was only triggered later, when the cow began to chew her
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China, oxen carrying large explosive charges were used as self-propelled explosive missiles. During
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at a nearby track. However, laboratory tests were unable to detect an infectious agent. Berlin
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Jones TH, Clark DA, Edwards AA, Davidson DW, Spande TF, Snelling RR (August 2004).
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attempts have been made to use animals as delivery systems for weapons. In
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was partially blown up and killed on a farm at
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747:. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp.
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Leave the
Animals in Peace: PETA's letter to Yasser Arafat
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For specific information about animals used as bombs, see
780:(Qld.: 1907–1954), 15 January 1932. Accessed 5 June 2015.
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238:, an Australian newspaper, reported an incident where a
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Natural explosions can occur for a variety of reasons.
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Franz
Mutschmann collected toad corpses and performed
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Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts About How
Animals Adapt
188:, at the expense of the individual in defense of its
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928:
426:, TheExplodingWhale.com Accessed November 7, 2005;
636:"Taliban attack Brit troops with explosive donkey"
258:, at a time when she was in the process of being
562:, Soviet-Empire.com (accessed November 17, 2006)
454:, January 27, 2004 (accessed November 17, 2006)
320:infection, possibly one also affecting foreign
147:. Other attempts have included the so-called "
574:, BBC News, Wednesday, 8 March 2000, 16:45 GMT
908:
791:"Back to the Drawing Board — EXPLODING RATS!"
471:, April 27, 2005 (accessed November 17, 2006)
8:
823:"Hungry crows may be behind exploding toads"
482:"Duck Full of Yeast Explodes; Man Loses Eye"
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510:Siege Weapons of the Far East: AD 300–1300
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341:ruptured and expelled their intestines.
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27:Events in which a creature bursts apart
448:Sperm whale explodes in Taiwanese City
99:which exploded after consuming yeast.
250:). The cow had reputedly picked up a
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873:"Das Rätsel der explodierten Kröten"
848:"Mystery of German exploding toads"
772:"Was it suicide?: A moo-cow's end"
684:10.1023/B:JOEC.0000042063.01424.28
25:
513:. Osprey Publishing. p. 40.
465:Mystery of German exploding toads
606:Dogs of war can be friend or foe
390:Military animals as living bombs
385:Decline in amphibian populations
354:
312:Initial theories had included a
52:, either as a result of natural
437:perp.com, Accessed June 6, 2005
829:. Associated press. 2005-04-28
1:
135:, while at the same time the
428:The Infamous Exploding Whale
405:Spontaneous human combustion
276:Special Operations Executive
18:List of animals that explode
572:Iran buys kamikaze dolphins
72:explosions, like that of a
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741:Piper, Ross (2007-08-30).
507:Turnbull, Stephen (2001).
56:or deliberate attempts at
29:
996:Animal-borne bomb attacks
777:Townsville Daily Bulletin
370:Animal-borne bomb attacks
235:Townsville Daily Bulletin
153:animal-borne bomb attacks
143:" for use against German
123:investigated the use of "
32:Animal-borne bomb attacks
795:Military History Monthly
192:; the process is called
1037:Exploding head syndrome
306:environmental movement
300:
221:Globitermes sulphureus
744:Extraordinary Animals
232:In January 1932, the
196:. Several species of
184:Some insects explode
167:were used to deliver
1017:Exploding White Mice
991:Exploding watermelon
203:Camponotus saundersi
64:Causes of explosions
923:Exploding organisms
676:2004JCEco..30.1479J
95:in 1910 reported a
91:in April 2005. The
50:explosion of whales
1068:Cruelty to animals
797:. 15 February 2012
720:2006-06-28 at the
611:2009-05-04 at the
589:2009-11-28 at the
558:2019-07-08 at the
553:Dog Anti-Tank Mine
539:2006-12-06 at the
488:. February 1, 1910
486:Los Angeles Herald
433:2007-10-29 at the
422:Steven Hackstadt,
93:Los Angeles Herald
1058:Exploding animals
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1012:Exploding Kittens
879:. NDR. 2015-04-29
854:. BBC. 2005-04-27
758:978-0-313-33922-6
622:Los Angeles Times
619:(originally from
615:August 12, 2005.
593:February 3, 2003.
16:(Redirected from
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424:The Evidence
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330:veterinarian
326:horse racing
324:involved in
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137:Soviet Union
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113:Song Dynasty
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155:, in which
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47:post-mortem
1052:Categories
936:Autothysis
883:2023-03-31
858:2018-12-05
833:2019-03-23
801:2016-03-04
411:References
375:Autothysis
334:necropsies
218:, such as
200:, such as
194:autothysis
1063:Predation
852:bbc.co.uk
761:. GR3922.
240:dairy cow
125:bat bombs
39:explosion
1005:See also
976:Bat bomb
827:NBC News
718:Archived
700:23756265
692:15537154
609:Archived
587:Archived
556:Archived
537:Archived
469:BBC News
431:Archived
348:See also
244:Cardwell
216:termites
175:Examples
149:kamikaze
109:military
107:Various
89:exploded
672:Bibcode
290:in the
157:donkeys
86:Denmark
82:Germany
58:carcass
43:animals
929:Topics
877:ndr.de
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698:
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492:May 7,
322:horses
318:fungal
292:Altona
260:milked
190:colony
165:horses
127:", or
749:25–27
696:S2CID
660:(PDF)
338:crows
314:viral
296:gases
288:toads
282:Toads
169:bombs
161:mules
145:tanks
78:toads
753:ISBN
726:ISBN
688:PMID
595:PETA
515:ISBN
494:2020
270:The
266:Rats
228:Cows
208:Asia
198:ants
180:Ants
129:bats
119:the
97:duck
84:and
37:The
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