Spears, Snipers and Deadly Sand Pits: Animals That Arm Themselves

One of the core things that sets humans apart from other animals is our ability to create and use weapons... but are we really so unique? Let's take a look at how...

• Some Chimpanzees Make Hunting Spears
• Antlions Dig Pits and Hurl Sand
• Octopuses Steal Stinging Tentacles
• Boxer Crabs Garden Anemone Gloves
• Gorillas (and Other Primates) Hurl Rocks
• Octopuses Can Be Surprisingly Adept Snipers

Some Chimpanzees Make Hunting Spears

Our closest relatives may not be our equals in tool making, but they do have their moments. Perhaps the most impressive of these is the production and use of hunting spears by a group of chimpanzees in Fongoli, Senegal.

The manufacturing technique is quite simple - find a decent length branch and break it off, strip the leaves and use your teeth to sharpen it to a point. The resulting weapon is now ready for its intended use - spearing a sleeping galago (bush baby).

So why do the chimps bother with a spear? The small galago hides away in tree hollows, making them hard for the larger chimpanzees to grab. Getting one out often requires breaking the tree apart, something which allows the galago ample time to make a run from another exit while the hungry chimp is distracted. By sneaking up to a hole and jabbing a spear inside, the chimp can wound or kill the prey before it has a chance to escape!

Antlions Dig Pits and Hurl Sand

One of the most sinister creatures on this list is an insect - and it's one that builds death-traps worthy of an evil genius.

Adult antlions are winged insects that can easily be mistaken for dragon or damselflies - but their young are a different story. The antlion larvae makes conical pits in sand, dirt or dust, digging in smaller and smaller circles before burying itself at the base. The material on the pit's sides is kept fairly unstable, as the insect flicks sand out to create treacherous footing for the intended victim.

When an ant explores the edge of the pit, a single slip on the sandy sides causes a minor landslide - one that carries the doomed soul towards the center and a waiting set of deadly jaws. The antlion is quite happy to speed the process along, flicking sand upwards at the victim and helping to kick-start an avalanche!

Octopuses Steal Stinging Tentacles

Jellyfish are famed for the power of their stinging tentacles - something which hasn't gone unnoticed by octopuses.

The seven-armed octopus (it actually has eight, but keeps one tucked away) has been observed carrying a fried egg jellyfish (that's not a joke, the jelly really does look like a swimming breakfast) beneath it, feeding on the unfortunate creature's body and letting the stinging tentacles drift beneath it like a net. Researchers believe that the octopus uses this either as defense or as a way of attacking other prey, since the jelly's tentacles remain armed even after death.

The common blanket octopus goes even further. They seem to be immune to the stings of the Portuguese Man-o'-War, and these cephalopods have been observed with bits of stolen tentacle attached to the suckers on their dorsal arms. Apparently this discovery was confirmed all the way back in 1963, when a researcher who'd caught a blanket octopus was lashed with the stolen tentacles!

Boxer Crabs Garden Anemone Gloves

It's not just octopuses that use other creatures as weapons - and arguably, the boxer crab does it better.

These crustaceans get their name from their habit of holding an anemone in each pincer, giving them the look of a boxer in gloves (or a cheerleader, they're sometimes called pom-pom crabs as a result.) Should a threat get close, all the crab has to do is jab it with the anemones to deliver a nasty series of stings.

The strangest thing about this crab is its habit of "gardening" the anemones. The boxer steals food from the anemones, keeping them small enough to wield (and feeding the crab in the process.)

So what happens if a boxer crab doesn't have gloves? Well, the anemones used by the crustacean haven't actually been observed living freely, so the crab'll have to try to steal them from one of its more fortunate kin. If a crab only has one anemone in the aftermath of a theft attempt, it'll tear it in half - and the bisected "glove" will regenerate into two separate anemones!

Gorillas (and Other Primates) Hurl Rocks

You've probably heard that chimpanzees will throw things at threats, but did you know gorillas will as well?

They don't appear incredibly adept at it, but they certainly have the muscle to propel a rock with some force. For example, a gorilla at Berlin Zoo flung a stone at a group of tourists that were filming him - and interestingly, the animal didn't seem to make any warning displays beforehand.

Less fortunate was a man at China's Nanning Zoo. A gorilla named Diunaxing had previously been known for digging up clods of earth and turf to throw at visitors... but in 2025 the big primate hurled a stone into the crowd, striking a visitor in the head.

There's also the case of Santino, a chimpanzee who was housed in Sweden's Furuvik Zoo. Not only did this chimp hurl a selection of missiles towards incautious visitors, he would also pre-prepare ammo dumps in the early hours of the morning. The pugnacious primate would fish stones from the enclosure moat and break off bits of concrete... before hiding them in spots where he'd have a good view of the crowd, just like a sniper planning an assassination.

Octopuses Can Be Surprisingly Adept Snipers

The coconut octopus is known for carrying around coconut shells (or other objects like clam shells) and assembling them on the fly to make a protective bunker when predators come calling. It's a clever trick, but what happens when the predators hang around?

Documentary makers captured footage of one of these canny cephalopods improvising a gun to go alongside their fortifications. The octopus was filmed picking up small pebbles and launching them with its siphon, much like a human would use a pea-shooter or blowgun. The tactic was effective, with lurking predatory fish leaving the area after being pelted with stones by their unseen assailant!

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Sources and Further Info:

• Do any primates use weapons to kill?
• Antlion Traps and Devours Victim | Empire of the Desert Ants | BBC Earth
• Antlion larvae follow optimality rules in body orientation during sand tossing
• Watch as Octopus Eats Jellyfish, Then Clings to It as Likely Weapon
• Tremoctopus violaceus Uses Physalia Tentacles as Weapons
• This Tiny Crab Can Knock Out Predators Twice Its Size | Natural Born Rebels | BBC Earth
• Boxer crabs induce asexual reproduction of their associated sea anemones by splitting and intraspecific theft
• Gorilla goes bananas and throws rock at tourists trying to film him in Berlin Zoo
• Zoo visitors scream as famous gorilla suddenly hurls rock into crowd
• Chimpanzee planned stone attacks on zoo visitors
• 'She turns her siphon into a gun': Watch coconut octopus firing stones at fish in world-1st footage