A cockroach's karate kick is the trick to fend off killer wasps – Quartz

Humans loathe roaches, so we do not feel trailer about killing them, and do not mind if other living things do it, either. Emerald jewel wasps routinely zombify these creepy pests, basically sedating them to death-it's the only way the wasps can reproduce-which means we're rooting for the zombie's success in the natural horror movie known as life.

But they are typical of roaches, they refuse to go quietly. Scientists now know how they fight their parasitic assailants.

A new paper entitled "How to be turned into a zombie," published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution on Oct. 31, shows that adult American cockroaches can usually survive killer zombie wasp when they use a particular move: an extremely effective karate kick. When they were used in the past, zombie wasps were rebuffed, according to the study conducted byVanderbilt University biologist Ken Catania, who studies predator-prey interactions.

Catania Observed the Insects' Battles Using the Slowness of the Martial Arts. "The cockroach has a following of what it can do to put off the zombie-makers, and this starts with what I call the 'on guard' position, like in fencing," the biologist said in a statement. "That allows the roach to move its antenna towards the wasp so that it can be tracked and attacked at the head and body of the wasp, and that is one of the most efficient deterrents. It's reminiscent of what a movie character would do when a zombie is coming after them. "

Juvenile roaches were not nearly as masterful at the kick, however. They fell prey to the zombie wasp attacks much more often than adults, according to the study.

When is the venom takes effect, the cockroach is sedated and led by its antenna into a hole, where the wasp deposits and the exit of debris. Technically, after an attack cockroaches might walk, run, or fly if properly stimulated by a scientist, say-but they are not in the wild, and researchers do not know why. It's "they are slowly being alive by the developing wasp larva," the paper posits. Ending up in this hole is a death sentence for the roach.

No previous research detailed how cockroaches escape this grim fate. "Here it is shown that many cockroaches have been with a vigorous defense. Successful cockroaches raised their bodies, bringing their necks of reach, and kicked off their legs with their spiny hind legs, "according to Catania's study. The paper concludes, "Thus, the best strategy is: be vigilant, protect your throat, and strike repeatedly at the head of the attacker."