Nonlethal harassment is deadly

I am sure you’ve heard the expression………

The stress is killing me !

For dragonflies, this is not an exaggeration but a reality. The mere presence of a fish, is enough to kill them.

The gaping fish mouth….

Researchers from the University of Toronto kept their pet fish and dragonfly larvae together in a single tank. Since dragonfly larvae are a firm favourite food for fish, the living arrangements were such that the fish were never able to feed on the dragonfly babes.

The tank had two distinct zones – a fish only zone and a dragonfly only zone.

But the baby dragonflies didn’t get the memo, so as far as they were concerned everytime they looked around, a big fish mouth was about to attack.

Dragonfly melt downs

The smell and sight of the fish was more than what the dragonfly larvae could handle.

Survival rates of dragonfly in the shared tank plummeted. The stats indicated survival rates were up to 4.3 times lower in the presence of the fish.

Baby dragonflies just kept dropping

Some just collapsed and died
Others survived long enough to progress into the next developmental phase, but they couldn’t get their metamorphosis to adults right. They got stuck during the transition and never emerged as adults.

The fear of being eaten is a killer

For dragonflies.

As humans it is unlikely that we will be eaten literally, but it is quite easy to metaphorically be eaten as situations, circumstances and PEOPLE come against us.

Who / what is eating you ?

Dial the stress down

A little fear will keep you on your toes, but too much can leave your development stunted, just like the baby dragonflies. Scenf of fear

So you need to work on bringing cortisol levels down.

Start by reading the memo – try to put the situation in perspective.

A fish behind a plate of glass is intimidating, but not deadly. Most of the scary things life throws our way are daunting, unwanted and unpleasant, but they are seldom fatal.

Try laughing, singing or switching off but adjust your perspective.

PS. I am a pharmacologist not a psychologist so can’t give detailed instructions of how to reframe things and get the perspective right, but I know how you think influences your body chemistry BIG TIME.

The deadly effects of “nonlethal” predators. Ecology, 2011; 92 (11): 2043 Shannon J. McCauley, Locke Rowe, Marie-Josée Fortin

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