If you've ever entered the world of online dating, you'll probably know what it's like to have to avoid persistent suitors at all costs.
However, no matter how many unwanted messages pile up in your inbox, I'm sure you've never used a tactic utilized by some female dragonflies.
Yes, researchers have discovered that some female dragonflies actually feign sudden death in order to detract from unwanted male attention.
Per National Geographic, the tactic is aptly named "sexual death feigning", and it has been identified in female moorland hawker dragonflies (Aeshna Juncea) in the Swiss Alps.
Studied by biologist Rassim Khelifa of the University of Zurich, she published her incredible findings in a study for the journal Ecology. Khelifa found that the female moorland hawker dragonflies face injuries and even death when coerced into mating by aggressive males.
Therefore, in an attempt to protect themselves, the female dragonflies will literally freeze mid-flight, crash to the ground, and lie motionless - all to repel any unwanted male attention. (A tactic I will be adopting for the next time I'm out in the club.)
Khelifa explains: "In a lot of dragonflies, males try to seize the female with or without consent. The fittest - that is the fastest, most powerful male - is usually the one who mates."
Sexual Death Feigning is an uncommon technique within the animal kingdom, with only five species known to practice it. A species of spider and a praying mantis are two other creatures that will "play dead" in order to avoid second base.
When summer rolls around in the Swiss Alps, the air can become full of whirring dragonflies attempting to mate. If successful, the female will then lay her eggs as the male flies away.
However, as the female attempts to leave her eggs, she could once again be approached by another male hopeful - which is when she will feign her death and plummet to the ground. (I like to picture all six of her legs clutching at her chest as she puts on the performance of her life.)
Khelifa found that the technique was successful roughly 60% of the time.
Another method Khelifa noticed the female dragonflies using was to lay their eggs in thick vegetation. This way, it was harder for other males to seek them out.
I never thought I'd feel so attached to a dragonfly - but I feel ya, girl.
