This is a good question. We were given the gift to problem solve. That’s our defense mechanism, imo. Animals can do this as well, but not as efficiently as us. I’d give people nothing. Why make a person more dangerous than they already are? Plus, I’d like to keep the cool powers to myself. :P

Weaponry is expensive in that it doesn’t do anything else – it’s an investment of energy and materials that could be spent elsewhere.

We have big, power-hungry, planning brains. We have opposable thumbs and a significant amount of brainpower dedicated to our manipulatory organs.

Why would we need claws or tusks or stinky spray when we can out-think our predators?

Bigger brains.

Coz dey is smarter than us!

Nothing is more powerful and painful than words or really loud screaming. Knowing a few choice Hapkido moves helps to!

Well, I think that… OOOO SPIDER! (SWAT, SPLAT!) He’s dead. What were we talking about?

Each species have their own defend mechanism according to their own Evolution path. There’s no better/perfect defend mechanism here,they’re all superior only in their own habitat so I can say that a creature with the best defend mechanism will also has the the worst mechanism if it faces different situation.

Our best defend mechanism would be the white blood cells,like any other creature,of course.

If I can suggest another defend mechanism for human that would be the immunity of white blood cells toward all kind of diseases so everlasting health through this loyal ‘bodyguard’ would be preserved.

I was about to say, I think a handgun or rifle is a tad bit more effective than noxious acid that we shoot out of our ass.

Our brains are our weapon.

The ability to create/use tools and adapt them for different purposes.

As has been said, the ability to create a new defense mechanism that suits itself to each unique problem is far better than only having one mechanism no matter what the problem is.

I think our defence mechanisms are pretty superior… they don’t seem very impressive to us… because they are ours.. but We can identify poisonous spiders and step on them… or avoid them… We have INVENTED antidotes to venoms…. and SURGERY that can mend damage by nasty attacks by animals… Bees die after they sting…. but I don’t die after I swat one with a newspaper.

I think we’re just fine…..

Mythbusters tested ways to get rid of skunk spray that involves oxidising the smell…. (like most stain and smell removal.. ) We can identify the chemical make up of the toxin…. smell… stain… and formulate ways to remove it. yep… we’re fine.

Humans don’t have a natural predator ao we have no natural defenses. Our defense is our intelligence and ability to make and use weapons.

@downtide: I disagree. We’re not that large, we can’t run very fast and we don’t have horns, claws, large teeth or any of the other accoutrements of prey animals. That doesn’t mean we don’t have natural predators. We do; we’re just smarter than them and don’t often get caught.

How do you think a four year old child child would measure up against a lion?

@the100thmonkey How do you think and unprotected lion cub would measure up to one of us? We kill more lions than they kill us… look at who the endangered species is.

agrees with @cazzie . There is no species on Earth (with the possible exception of internal parasites) that relies on humans for its food. There’s a big difference between a one-off attack and a staple diet.

Because if you think about it. Look at us now….We’re just killing with our guns and weapons we have now. It would set the world off balance to know that animals don’t have any type of defense mechanism. It wouldn’t be fair at all. Plus wouldn’t want people to be abusing the powers of what they’ll do to others. And the powers…Transform into a wolf. XD

We fight with tools.

We eat orcas and great white sharks, and you ask why we don
t have better defense mechanisms? We hunted saber toothed tigers and giant cave bears into extinction, and you feel we’re the world’s biggest wimps? Our brain is our defense mechanism. In hand to hand combat, I may be no match for a grizzly bear, but I can buy and use a 5-shot Browning Automatic Shotgun loaded with slugs, and the bear can’t.

@ETpro, eloquently put.

@cazzie: Ummm… What?

I don’t see how you could misread my point. Nevertheless, I will defend myself: a four year old child is defenseless. A lion is not.

We are technological animals; hence predation on humans is practically non-existent – most predator animals that humans encounter have recognised that in an us against them situation, we win, so they leave us alone.

Please don’t moralise at me.

They don’t.

Humans got the most sophisticated defense mechanism there is: the human brain

And our immune system is very powerful too.