Nature · 2
What effect does a stick insect's foul-smelling chemical secretion have on predators after it plays dead?
Answer
It causes them to reject the insect as spoiled or rotten food
The chemical odor mimics the smell of decay, which convinces predators the stick insect is inedible, causing them to abandon it rather than continue attacking.
💡 Did you know?
Stick insects can play dead while oozing a foul-smelling chemical from their legs—predators often reject them as rotten food.
Other options people guess
- It paralyzes the predator instantly
- It attracts other predators to the scene
- It causes the predator to lose its sense of smell
Topics
- camouflage
- insects
- defense-mechanisms
- chemical-defense
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