BBC Earth News - Ancient 'smell of death' revealed
I’m always really interested to read articles about how animals and insects treat their dead, because it’s usually pretty ritualistic and much more organised than one would assume.
Oleic acid is responsible for that familiar “death smell” that signals to animals and insects alike, to avoid others that have succumbed to disease or places where predators might lurk.
A fairly famous study involved tainting perfectly healthy ants with one drop of the aforementioned acid, only to have them violently exiled to their funereal area.
Source: BBC
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