Which mammal is the best known example of playing dead?
Correct answer: Opossum
deathrae76
they dont play dead where im from. they hiss at you and stand their ground. city opossum dont care!
meldawg
I live in a rural area and have many opossums. They are good to have around and they have a certain odd charm. I like them.
EcoGal
Years ago I lived in a third floor apartment. The landlord had replaced my refrigerator and left the old one outside my back door. One evening I heard noises and opened the back interior door. There was a possum by the fridge. My cat was hissing on one side of the screen door and the possum on the other. It was a riot!
Player buddybear
in the animated film "over the hedge" Bill Shatner voiced a opossum who over acted every time he played dead
Rai
The possums in our neighborhood are much larger than cats and they don't play dead.
VividPotion6704
some wild dogs use this as a hunting technique... lying on their back with all four paws in the air and eyes closed... when some animal or bird comes to see if it's good eating, they snap them up... you sometimes see domestic dogs doing this and we think they look cute!!!
Mel
WHEN WE LIVED IN CALIFORNIA, WE FOUND AN OPPOSUM IN OUR TRASH CAN. WE CALLED ANIMAL CONTROL BECAUSE WE DIDNT KNOW IT WOULD BITE.
Bab
Great description! Thanks for all this information. I adore these creatures.
YSL
"Playing dead" works when my dog tries to kill them. We have to finish the job for Clyde. I'd let them live I'd they didn't kill chickens.
Bonnie
Fredrico, What happened? Did she play dead? 😂
Bonnie
Susan Jerrell, You keep them! They burrowed under our other home & we had a heck of a time getting rid of it. Andddd don’t handle them they carry Leprosy. Look it up!
toe jam
the fly, also plays dead after you hit it, then flies away.
Player Bengal Mama
Player #16071116, Perhaps it is more prevalent in New World possums. I've even seen a baby raccoon play dead. It was in my goat barn one morning. I went to get a box to put him in and when I returned he was gone. People have said I am lying. I am not always perfectly honest, "why officer, this old truck won't go that fast!". but for a baby raccoon, nevah.
Baby Dragon
They play dead because, if an animal wants to kill it they just act like they are dead, and the animal is not interested in it then.
Old Fool
GruffSecretAgent9936, yeah really hate spill chuckers.
Player #32567393
Cozzy 25,
I live in a caravan park & we have possums here. But this is the 1st time I’ve seen the spelling “opossum!!” 😎
Player #21374632
Susan Jerrell, don’t leave your cat or dogs food outside cuz opossum will surely eat it, lol
Player #17589484
the idiom is to play possum thiugh
Buck Naked
it's just Possum. No such thing as an "Opossum"
Lionessa
I'm surprised no one mentioned Ice Age 2 yet. I got the answer by remembering the playdead part of the movie 😂
Player #4250921
I often hear the term "Awesome possum". I have never thought of possums as being awesome.
Player #9952194
Ms. Margaret, I love that song! So funny.
aka grammy1
Ms. Margaret, that was a fun old song. My sister and I would sing it together and laugh.
Toisha
Player #6852065, Great, now that song will be stuck in my head all day. ☺
Birdiemom
Why did the possum cross the road? To get to the middle. Why did the chicken cross the road? To probe to the possum that it could be done.
Player #6852065
Mo B. Richard, dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinkin' to high heaven.
GruffSecretAgent9936
Riggen fracken spellchecker will be the death of me!
That's gods that...
GruffSecretAgent9936
That's God's
ChewyGazelle68623
skater punk, cool info!!