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Wildlife: Which Animals Play Dead – Interesting Facts
03.01.2024 23:00
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:21
Many animals pretend to be dead when in danger.
This is done, for example, by Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) and common grass snakes (Natrix natrix).
This behavior is also common among insects, including ants.
What insects play dead
Biologists from the University of Bristol (UK) have discovered insects that can “play dead” to avoid predators.
Scientists have discovered that antlion larvae (lat. Euroleon nostras) are able to remain motionless for 61 minutes, confusing predators.
Zoologists have discovered ants on the Australian Kangaroo Island that pretend to be dead as an entire colony.
This unusual behavior was observed in representatives of the species Polyrhachis femorata, which inhabited wooden possum houses.
According to scientists, pretending helps ants confuse predators.
Why do insects pretend to be dead
European antlion larvae freeze if they see danger approaching.
A group of scientists noticed this when conducting experiments.
The larvae froze and did not move for several seconds to an hour each time they were tried to be weighed.
Previously, we talked about the characteristics of the Border Collie breed.
