Answer:
A reaction to being spooked that takes its name from waterfowl
The older they are the less wrinkles they have.
Come up and let us go. Go down and here we stay
I drift forever with the current down these long canals they’ve made, Tame, yet wild, I run elusive Multitasking to your aid. Before I came, the world was darker, colder, sometimes, rougher, true. But though I might make living easy, I’m good at killing people too.
What flares up and does a lot of good, and when it dies is just a piece of wood?
A leathery snake, with a stinging bite. I'll stay coiled up, unless I must fight.
Difficult
Animal
Easy
Food
Funny
Kids
Logic
What am I?