The sexual deception of orchids
622,040 views |
Anne Gaskett |
TED-Ed
• February 2019
Nearly 28,000 species of orchid grow all around the world, bearing every imaginable color, shape and pattern. There's a cunning purpose behind these elaborate displays: many orchids trick insects into pollinating, sometimes even into having sex with them. How do they deploy these deceptive tactics? Anne Gaskett dives into the surprisingly complex ways orchids attract insects. [Directed by Mette Ilene Holmriis, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Jarrett Farkas].