Why do dead bugs and mice ‘stiffen up’ in specific positions where as other dead animals simply go limp?

Question

Why do dead bugs and mice ‘stiffen up’ in specific positions where as other dead animals simply go limp?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I am not sure what you mean with insects stiffening when they die but I can explain why they curl up on their backs. It is not 100% proven but it is thought that when an insect is dead or dying, it cannot keep it’s limbs under enough tension so it goes into a “state of relaxation”. That is why the legs curl up.

Another possibility is that without blood flow to the limbs, the muscles contract and fold up.