• 30. 4. 2024, 13:00

NATURE'S GAMES. Seg 1 Carrion flowers. Carrion flowers are the unorthodox perception of flowers for they are rare, big, and very unpleasant. Other terms are stink flowers and corpse flowers. The biggest flower in the world, rafflesia arnoldii, is a carrion flower. These flowers are difficult to find and reproduce and could breed through cross-pollination by attracting flies and dung beetles. Seg 2 Aposematism. Aposematism is a form of signalling that enables protection for both preys and predators by giving signs of poison and danger through showing off the bright colors and patterns on their epidermal layers that become associated with inedibility. Some species have developed mimicry based on aposematism in order to avail the protection aposematic colors give. Seg 3 Cuckoo Misdirection. Cuckoo misdirection demonstrates the mimicking abilities of a female cuckoo in order to find host nests to hatch her eggs. The female mimics a cry of a predator bird in order to frighten the hosts, leaving them vulnerable, thus the cuckoo can seize the chance to drop her egg on a host nest. Seg 4 Pheromones. Animal pheromones are the chemicals secreted and released by different species to communicate with other organisms. There are various types serving different purposes, ranging from reproduction, to trailing, to alarms. Some pheromones are also specific to one species of animals. Seg 5 Deimatic Behavior. Deimatic behavior is another type of defensive behavior in animals that also involves mimicry. It’s the opposite of aposematism because while aposematism works by blatantly showing or signalling its danger or unpalatability, deimatic behavior relies on the element of surprise to startle predators in order for species to flee to safety.