Talk:I Had a Thought..../@comment-17737991-20140803141043/@comment-7706473-20140804075500

Seconding that thought - about it being better for a blog post then an article - but it's an interesting idea, so I'll add what I know.

Higher brain function in insects and arthropods is pretty interesting. There are several arthropods that will achieve a 'purpose', whether it is propogating/mating, building a web or lair, and simply go into a delayed-action state of death, like Bree was talking about. Though that's close enough to a suicide, amongst mammals, deer and elk will take reckless and even suicidal action if they realize they're being hunted. I don't know if that counts as what you're talking about, but it's worthy of consideration.

As for flaws for humanity, that's another interesting question right there. Putting aside snark and personal opinion, we're fairly weak and easily-damaged, even when we're trained, fit, and wearing protective gear. Anyway. A story where a human notices animals comitting suicide en masse, in increasingly strange and disturbing ways, could be pretty spooky. Even more so if maybe the narrator can't for whatever reason. There are a lot of creepy ideas there!