Insects pretend to die to avoid predators, but for how long?
Insects pretend to die to avoid predators, but for how long?
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| Photo: Pixabay |
Many may have heard the word 'playing possum' in English. It refers to a behavior seen in many animals, where some animals pretend to die to escape other predators.
But what do these animals do or what happens to these animals after they stop pretending to die?
A group of scientists from the University of Bristol found the answer to this question in a recent study. They have done this research especially by seeing the behavior of ants.
Research has shown that what such insects do after 'pretending to die' depends on how they behave in the situation they find themselves in.
The results of this research have been published in the scientific journal 'PlosOne'.
Ants are tiny insect-like creatures that often feign death as a last-ditch effort to escape predators. When threatened, they abandon their bodies entirely in the hope that a predator will lose interest in them and release them.
This behavior is not unique to ants. It is also common among different species. Science-based site Norridge wrote in the report that people can behave like this even in extreme situations.
Intrigued by this behavior of ants, Emeritus Professor Nigel Franks and his research team decided to investigate further. They note that it is difficult to predict how long each ant will persist in a single insect.
By observing many more ants, the researchers noticed that, although the duration of each insect's individual 'revival' was uncertain, the overall pattern of their behavior as a group was predictable.
This pattern is similar to how different radioactive atoms decay separately at random times. But when working as a team they show predictable patterns.
Researchers say this uncertainty is an adaptation strategy of ants. When a hunter picks them up and then leaves, there's no telling how long the insect will be stationary before moving again. And this uncertainty may discourage the predator from waiting around, giving the ant a better chance of survival.
In this study, an ant remained stationary for more than an hour. Which gives an indication of how effective this strategy can be. But what happens after the ant 'returns from pretending to die'?
Ant larvae usually live in sand or loose soil, where they can make small holes to easily trap prey. And when they are dropped on a soft ground, they can quickly burrow into it to escape. In this case, if they find themselves on a hard surface where burrowing is not possible, they must find other means of survival.
Using advanced video tracking, the researchers observed that these ants adjust their behavior based on the surface they are on. If they cannot burrow, they may move in ways that help them find shelter or hide from predators.
Professor Franks said the study is perhaps the first to look at what animals do after pretending to die. This suggests that animal activities are highly context-dependent.
