There are several reasons why some animals just smells so bad. They can’t use any deodorant to solve this problem, so other animals would probably just leave it alone.
The first reason is so that releasing pungent odor is a self-defense mechanism and would keep threats away. Of course, the predators would lose their appetite after smelling such a foul smell.
Some more reasons are that releasing a smelly odor would mark the territories of an animal. This is to show aggression and power. Once their territories are marked, these animals could keep their food safe and also themselves safe.
The last reason is that simply because the hair on their body blocks the urinary pathway. In other words, when they try to urinate, the urine gets stuck in the hair and it creates a pungent smell.
- Millipede
Starting with our first animal is a millipede that is more than just its smell. This insect is also a venomous and deadly animal. There are two defense mechanisms of this insect. The first is its smell that it releases when there is any threat nearby.
It would also curl up into a spiral shape when any predator or object touches it. Besides its deadline, it would also be one of the shortest living animals due to it being an insect.
Moreover, a millipede could also release a deadly and poisonous chemical called hydrogen cyanide. One of these millipedes could kill up to 6 mouses and 100 millipedes could kill one human being.
- Tasmanian devil
Next up, is an animal that is native to Australia. This adorable animal looks like a bear cub, with a white horizontal stripe across its neck. The Tasmanian devil is considered as a smelly animal due to the strong odor it releases when it is under duress.
This would mark their territory and force any other animal to move further away from it. But when this animal is calm, it won’t release any odor and it would smell just perfectly fine.
- Lesser anteater
One of the king amongst them all is a lesser anteater. This species of an anteater is a unique one due to its unique ability to release a smelly odor.
This species is considered as one of the smelliest animals on Earth with 4 to 7 times smellier than a skunk. This is proven to be true due to the smell of an anteater reaching a distance of up to 50 meters.
- Striped polecat
Often mistaken as a skunk, a striped polecat is different in characteristics. This animal is a carnivorous animal and would dig down below Earth to get its next meal. It would only hunt for food at night because it is nocturnal animals.
It indeed has the same colors and stripes across its body similar to a skunk, but they both have different patterns.
Besides using its awful smell, a striped polecat would also scream and shriek in a high pitch to scare off predators.
- Stink bird
While other animals use a sense of smell like a self-defense mechanism, a stink bird has no reason of self-defense to use its smell. This bird naturally has this smell due to the diet it consumes.
This animal is the only bird that is entirely herbivorous and only consumes leaves for its diet. Due to this reason, this bird would use specific bacteria and a special fermentation to digest the things it ate. When these things break down, the stink bird would smell like feces due to the gas produced in the digestive process.
- Bombardier beetle
Just from its name, it is known to be a very defensive animal. It won’t just use foul smell to defend itself, but it also has another secret weapon. A bombardier beetle is equipped with a unique and rare chemical mixture.
These chemical mixtures are very hot and are made from special enzymes. The temperature can reach up to a hot 100°C. Once the secret weapon is shot, it would release a pungent smell from all the enzymes released.
- Skunk
Skunks are one of the most common smelly animals that you can find in your backyard. They are one of the slowest animals, so they wouldn’t rely on their speed to run off. These animals are also non-aggressive, this means that skunks would less likely to fight back.
So instead of wasting energy, it would just secrete awful smelling gas onto the air. This air consists of sulfuric chemicals which they could spray at a distance of up to 3 meters.
- Musk ox
To end this list, we present you with an animal of no self-defense. This animal gains its ability of awful smell from its urine. The musk ox would often urinate to mark its territory.
This would only be done by the male musk ox. The urine of this animal would flow to the bottom part of the body. It would be stuck in the thick fur of the musk ox, and the smell would develop.