Smart Mrs Dragonfly

In order to avoid males of the species bothering them for sex, female dragonflies fake their own deaths, falling from the sky and lying motionless on the ground until the suitor goes away.

 

A study by Rassim Khelifa, a zoologist from the University of Zurich is the first time scientists have seen odonates feign death as a tactic to avoid mating, and a rare instance of animals faking their own deaths for this purpose. Odonates is the order of carnivorous insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies.

But you can read the article here – http://www.newsweek.com/female-dragon-flies-fake-death-avoid-sex-evolution-591494

Reminds me of :-

Thought from the Greatest Living Scottish Thinker–Billy Connolly.  “If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking, How come they can’t have a headache and sex at the same time?”

Animals are very smart!

Even insects. There is no denying it.

Found this interesting article on bumblebees that use nicotine to self medicate here 

So far, the majority of evidence for animals self-medicating—either by ingesting or applying substances with medicinal properties to treat or prevent disease—has been documented in vertebrates, and more specifically chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). But there is a growing body of evidence that a wider and wider range of animals seek out plants and other substances specifically for their healing properties.

Known as zoopharmacognosy (literally “animal-drug-knowing”), the most common examples involve parrots eating clay to absorb toxins in the gut or dogs eating grass to make themselves sick. North American brown bears (Ursos arctos) are also known to make a paste of osha roots and saliva to rub through their fur to repel insects in a similar way to how many species of birds wipe ants through their feathers to rid themselves of lice. But evidence of self-medicating in insects has until recently remained scant.

Recent research has shown that certain species of bumblebee might seek out nectar high in alkaloids—such as nicotine—when infected with a gut parasite. The alkaloids were shown to reduce the number of parasites after the bees had had their tipple of nectar.

Now what Charlie is looking for I suppose is ….. probably a rat? He and Bully sometimes catch a rat when it comes over  from the veld. They bring it to me (Ugh!) and then I buy it off them with a treat. I do not want them to eat rats see.

But Oh Dear for the plants.

from the veld. They bring it to me (Ugh!) and then I buy it off them with a treat. I do not want them to eat rats see.