Deflecting an Attack
Deflecting an Attack
Startle displays and bluffs can help an animal escape in the nick
of time. Another tactic is to trick a predator into attacking the
“wrong” part of its prey or misjudging which direction the prey
will go as it tries to escape. An animal can live to see another
day if it can keep its head and body safe by getting a predator to
merely nip its tail instead.
Colors, markings, and behaviors that encourage a predator to focus on the wrong end of its prey are called deflection displays because they redirect, or deflect, an attack.
Deflection displays often make use of eyespots. Unlike eyespots that are flashed to scare a predator, these eyespots show on an animal’s hind end at all times. They draw a predator’s attention away from the prey’s head. As a predator lunges, it focuses on the prominent eyespot at the prey’s tail end instead of on the prey’s head. The prey’s actual eyes may be hidden among stripes or spots.
Eyespots like these are common among fish, especially coral-reef species such as butterfly fish. The four-eyed butterfly fish, for example, has false eyes near its tail that look just like its real eyes. The threadfin butterfly fish has a dark spot on a fin toward its rear. A dark stripe on its head runs through its actual eye, which make it less noticeable. Angled stripes on its sides also guide a predator’s eye toward its tail. If attacked, each fish may lose a bit of its tail, but escape with its life.
Juvenile emperor angelfish, another coral-reef species, are covered with loops of white and light blue on a dark background. These loops swirl around a large eyespot near the angelfish’s tail, while its actual eyes disappear among the stripes on its head. A predator’s gaze is naturally pulled to the wrong end.
Insects also use eyespots in their deflection displays. These eyespots are always visible, not like the eyespots used to startle predators. They are also smaller and closer to the wings’ edges.
Many species of butterflies sport such eyespots on their hind wings. A bird that snaps at the wrong end of such a butterfly leaves notches in the wings but loses out on a meal. Some butterflies have hind wings tipped with fake legs and antennae. Scientists have noticed that some of these butterflies will even creep backward along a stem for a second or two after landing, which might help fool a nearby predator. One butterfly found in Malaysia has such a convincing “head” on its hind end that it is sometimes called the back-to-front butterfly.
Other insects rely on false heads to dodge predators, too. A lanternfly of Southeast Asia has antennae lookalikes dangling from the ends of its wings near a pair of eyespots. When the wings are folded, the lanternfly’s tail looks like a head. The insect even walks backward when it senses danger. Some lanternflies turn this trick around and have heads that look like tails.
The giant desert centipede of the southwestern United States is not an insect, but it uses the false-head trick, too. Its tail end looks just like its head, right down to antennae-like attachments. If a predator grabs the centipede’s hind end because it mistakes it for the head, the centipede can twist around and bite it.
The shingleback skink, a lizard of Australia, also uses this tactic. Its stumpy head and tail look nearly identical. A predator that grabs the wrong “head” will be surprised to see the skink scurry off in the opposite direction.
Many snakes also use the two-headed trick. They roll up in a ball and hide their heads in their coils when under attack. Then they wave their tails to threaten the predator and deflect its attack. These snakes sometimes have bright colors on their tails that enhance this trick. Southeast Asian snakes called kraits, for example, wave red tails.
The ring-necked snake of North America coils its tail to display the bright orange-red underside. The color and coiling can distract a predator. in Africa, the shovel-snouted snake coils its tail, too. Other kinds of snakes even jab their tails at their attackers as if they were going to bite them.
Tail markings are common among animals, and some scientists are taking a second look at them to see which ones may be used as deflection displays. The black tip on a weasel’s tail, for example, may help trick a hawk into trying to grab the skinny tail instead of the body or head.
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| A juvenile emperor angelfish has an eyespot n near its tail, which makes a predator focus on the wrong end. |
Colors, markings, and behaviors that encourage a predator to focus on the wrong end of its prey are called deflection displays because they redirect, or deflect, an attack.
Deflection displays often make use of eyespots. Unlike eyespots that are flashed to scare a predator, these eyespots show on an animal’s hind end at all times. They draw a predator’s attention away from the prey’s head. As a predator lunges, it focuses on the prominent eyespot at the prey’s tail end instead of on the prey’s head. The prey’s actual eyes may be hidden among stripes or spots.
Eyespots like these are common among fish, especially coral-reef species such as butterfly fish. The four-eyed butterfly fish, for example, has false eyes near its tail that look just like its real eyes. The threadfin butterfly fish has a dark spot on a fin toward its rear. A dark stripe on its head runs through its actual eye, which make it less noticeable. Angled stripes on its sides also guide a predator’s eye toward its tail. If attacked, each fish may lose a bit of its tail, but escape with its life.
Juvenile emperor angelfish, another coral-reef species, are covered with loops of white and light blue on a dark background. These loops swirl around a large eyespot near the angelfish’s tail, while its actual eyes disappear among the stripes on its head. A predator’s gaze is naturally pulled to the wrong end.
Insects also use eyespots in their deflection displays. These eyespots are always visible, not like the eyespots used to startle predators. They are also smaller and closer to the wings’ edges.
Many species of butterflies sport such eyespots on their hind wings. A bird that snaps at the wrong end of such a butterfly leaves notches in the wings but loses out on a meal. Some butterflies have hind wings tipped with fake legs and antennae. Scientists have noticed that some of these butterflies will even creep backward along a stem for a second or two after landing, which might help fool a nearby predator. One butterfly found in Malaysia has such a convincing “head” on its hind end that it is sometimes called the back-to-front butterfly.
Other insects rely on false heads to dodge predators, too. A lanternfly of Southeast Asia has antennae lookalikes dangling from the ends of its wings near a pair of eyespots. When the wings are folded, the lanternfly’s tail looks like a head. The insect even walks backward when it senses danger. Some lanternflies turn this trick around and have heads that look like tails.
The giant desert centipede of the southwestern United States is not an insect, but it uses the false-head trick, too. Its tail end looks just like its head, right down to antennae-like attachments. If a predator grabs the centipede’s hind end because it mistakes it for the head, the centipede can twist around and bite it.
The shingleback skink, a lizard of Australia, also uses this tactic. Its stumpy head and tail look nearly identical. A predator that grabs the wrong “head” will be surprised to see the skink scurry off in the opposite direction.
Many snakes also use the two-headed trick. They roll up in a ball and hide their heads in their coils when under attack. Then they wave their tails to threaten the predator and deflect its attack. These snakes sometimes have bright colors on their tails that enhance this trick. Southeast Asian snakes called kraits, for example, wave red tails.
The ring-necked snake of North America coils its tail to display the bright orange-red underside. The color and coiling can distract a predator. in Africa, the shovel-snouted snake coils its tail, too. Other kinds of snakes even jab their tails at their attackers as if they were going to bite them.
Tail markings are common among animals, and some scientists are taking a second look at them to see which ones may be used as deflection displays. The black tip on a weasel’s tail, for example, may help trick a hawk into trying to grab the skinny tail instead of the body or head.
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