Heavy Metal Newt: Natures Biggest Badass?

We noticed this strange fellow today at the zoo. Called the Sharp or Iberian Ribbed Newt, this amphibian is native to Southern Iberia (Spain & Portugal) and Morocco.

When threatened, it coats its own pointy ribs with venom and shoves them through the side of its body, just daring anything to try something. Though this doesn't hurt the the newt, it causes a painful sting for a hungry predator.

These newts go to space as well! The female newt can be inseminated on Earth and keep the sperm alive for up to five months, with hormonal stimulation being applied in space to study the effects of microgravity on development.