"Upside down is an atypical posture for a dragonfly," Mr. Khelifa noted dryly. To get some answers, Mr. Khelifa designed several experiments to clarify the reproductive behaviors of moorland hawkers. Mr. Khelifa concluded that the "dead" females are fully aware of their surroundings and thus, are quite capable of avoiding marauding males, human researchers and predators. Many dragonfly species are known to "play dead" to escape a predator, so it's possible that female moorland hawkers simply expanded this anti-predatory behavior as a response to marauding males. Faking death to avoid male coercion: extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly, Ecology, published online ahead of print on 24 April 2017. doi:10.1002/ecy.1781Female Dragonflies Play Dead To Avoid Horny Males | @GrrlScientistLove science?

Source: Forbes May 03, 2017 17:55 UTC