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I have seen birds, lizards, frogs, fish, etc in various places on their back dead. May be insecticides cause them to flip over but I do not believe every upside down creature died by poison as stated in this question's answer: Why do cockroaches flip over when they die? and the roach question only covers roaches and insecticides. My question covers all animals not affected by poison that are belly up.

Other than poisoning is there any other reasons like DNA programming on behavior or muscle spasms that cause this?

Muze
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  • Related: https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/64333/if-an-insect-becomes-upside-down-do-they-have-mechanisms-to-turn-themselves-rig – Twisted Genes Apr 04 '18 at 07:40
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    @Muze This is just speculaion but it could also be partly due to confirmation bias. I've seen a lot of dead ladybirds on their front - even if organisms have a 50/50 chance of facing up or down, you might notice the upside down ones more, since its what you're looking out for. A lot of insects might simply be blown over onto their backs when dead. But also, some organisms could be flipped over by a predator, if the predator finds it easier to eat the organism from its underside (e.g. if there is a thinner shell around the organism's belly). – Jam Apr 04 '18 at 12:48
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    Possible duplicate of Why do cockroaches flip over when they die? – kmm Apr 04 '18 at 13:01
  • @Muze I did, and I still think the questions are the same. Others are free to disagree with me. That's how it works. – kmm Apr 04 '18 at 15:11
  • @kmm you are correct. – Muze Apr 04 '18 at 20:45
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    Can you back up the claim that "living things go belly up as they die"? I've been dead animals in other positions as well... Otherwise, this is just an unfounded/anecdotal claim. – fileunderwater Apr 05 '18 at 20:11
  • @fileunderwater that is why I'm asking, but if you want I can find pictures online of animals dead on there back. – Muze Apr 05 '18 at 20:55

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limbs are light weight compared to bodies, if you knock an animal around (and it has no active correction AKA is not alive) it will tend to end up on its back just due to where its center of gravity is.

John
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