Science View S2023E19 - Great Escape: How Prey Avoid Predators

All over the planet, creatures display incredible ways to escape predators. Shocking escape techniques beyond imagination are still being discovered one after another. A juvenile eel escapes from the gills of a predator fish even after being eaten. A bombardier beetle ejects gas that can reach temperatures of up to 100℃ to fend off an attack by a praying mantis. The common Japanese idiom "a frog stared at by a snake," implying a frog so overcome with fear that it can't move, actually belies a profound survival strategy. Even playing dead has been shown to be advantageous in avoiding predators. In this episode, we'll look at how "predation avoidance behavior" is tied to creatures' fundamental desire to survive.