One such insect, the sap - sucking aphid (a common pest in gardens), has an effective escape plan, though: the
bugs detect an approaching herbivore's breath and simply drop off the plant before it's eaten.Researchers
at the University of Haifa
at Oranim, Israel first noticed this phenomenon when they allowed a goat to feed on aphid -
infested alfalfa plants — 65 percent of the plant pests simultaneously dropped to the ground just before the vegetation was devoured.The team suspected that several cues might have motivated the mass dropping, including the sudden shadow cast by the goat, plant - shaking triggered by the munching marauder and / or the herbivore's exhalations.
In addition to finding dirty,
bug -
infested conditions
at many breeding facilities, inspectors cited numerous reports of buyers who received animals who were sick or dying.