Orchid lures flies with scent of rotting flesh
Monday, March 14, 2011 - 21:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Sex and violence, or at least death, are the key to reproduction for the orchid Satyrium pumilum. The orchid lures flies into its flowers by mimicking the smell of rotting flesh. A new study compares the scent of the orchids with that of roadkill.