Escape response

Escape response, escape reaction, or escape behaviour is a possible reaction in response to stimuli indicative of danger. In particular, it initiates an escape motion of an animal. In the cases of reflectory reactions, the escape response may also be called escape reflex.

The term is also used in a more general setting: avoiding of unpleasant or dangerous situations.

Studying escape reactions has a number of practical applications: fish breeding, insect repellent design, preventing aircraft-bird collisions, etc.

Examples

Lobstering: animation

• Escape motion
  • Lobstering of krill
• Hiding (sheltering, camouflage)
• Motionlessness
• A well-known escape response of squids is to eject ink
• Shrimp may eject bioluminescent matter
• In some animals escape response includes emptying of the bowels.

See also

• Avoidance response
• Startle response
• Flight zone
• Escape distance