A whirligig beetle seeps white goo when pestered, and that slow ooze—instead of a big squirt—gives the beetle a chance in a life-or-death contest inside a fish’s mouth, say Cornell University researchers.
Bass appears to struggle to rinse a bad taste off a tainted mealworm marked with charcoal. It alternately sloshes darkened water from its mouth (above) and gills (below).
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.