I'm trying to cut down on the Wikipedia quoting, but this is too awesome:

Defense mechanism
Secretory cells produce hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide, which collect in a reservoir. The reservoir opens through a muscle-controlled valve onto a thick-walled reaction chamber. This chamber is lined with cells that secrete catalases and peroxidases. When the contents of the reservoir are forced into the reaction chamber, the catalases and peroxidases rapidly break down the hydrogen peroxide and catalyze the oxidation of the hydroquinones into p-quinones.

These reactions release free oxygen and generate enough heat to bring the mixture to the boiling point and vaporize about a fifth of it. Under pressure of the released gases, the valve is forced closed, and the chemicals are expelled explosively through openings at the tip of the abdomen. Each time it does this, it shoots about 70 times very rapidly. The damage caused can be fatal to attacking insects and small creatures and is painful to human skin.

I get sprayed a lot like that.

The Bombardier is one of the cases of irreducible complexity that creationists cite.

>> ^xxovercastxx:

The Bombardier is one of the cases of irreducible complexity that creationists cite.


I've gotta say it's very hard to conceive of how this creature evolutionized over time. However just because we can't imagine it doesn't mean there isn't a perfectly logical creator involved.

Irreducible Complexity: "I can't imagine how something evolved, therefore it didn't."

Young Richard Dawkins would like to have a word with you in his kinder lab:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi4OdrITkqY

Edit: Or, better yet, watch it on videosift below.

Dawkins explains the evolution of the Bombardier Beetle. http://videosift.com/video/Dawkins-on-the-Evolution-of-the-Bombardier-Beetle

>> ^ant:

I get sprayed a lot like that.


Skit skit.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Reminds me of the morning after chili night. I use that pulsing thing too.

It seems to spray that stuff over itself just as much as the intended recipient. Is it somehow resistant to heat?

I remeber this one time I ate at taco bell...