Playing possum
These animals aren't dead. They are putting on a remarkable performance. Birds enter this trance like state quite readily. Frogs who appear to die and turn on their backs, but it's just a bluff. The hognose snake lolls its tongue to fake death throws and gives off the stench of decay. It was the opossum that gave death-feigning its name. As it plays possum, anal secretions make it smell like a rotten corpse. This behaviour is easily triggered by hypnosis techniques and the animals often wake up together. They play dead because most predators won't touch carrion.
Duration:
This clip is from
Featured in...
大象传媒 Nature
Be captivated, informed and inspired by the world's wildlife.
More clips from Devious Defences
-
Dance of defiance
Duration: 01:31
-
Slippery character
Duration: 01:35
-
Eclectic dress sense
Duration: 01:35
-
Snake in the grass
Duration: 01:45
More clips from Weird Nature
-
Skincare—Bizarre Breeding
Duration: 01:01
-
Dying for sex—Bizarre Breeding
Duration: 01:43
-
Happy hour—Peculiar Potions
Duration: 03:07
-
A liking for licking—Peculiar Potions
Duration: 01:28