How an American opossum pretending to be dead?

The animal which has given rise to the idiom is the American opossum. It is renowned for rolling over and collapsing to the ground, drooling. It then remains stock still, with its mouth open and teeth bared, a putrid, corpse-like smell wafts from its anal glands.

From his anal glands, the opossum’s body emits green mucus that will discourage most predators from feeding on him while he’s in his comatose state. This smell leads the predator to believe that the opossum’s body is a rotting carcass. Unfortunately, being run over by vehicles is now the most common way in which opossums are killed — the smell does nothing to help them in this situation.

While the ability to play dead has probably saved many an opossum’s life, it also comes with its own set of risks. If an opossum goes into shock in the middle of the road, it’s unlikely drivers will swerve to avoid hitting him because it appears he’s already passed on. There are also many opossums who have been buried by people who didn’t realize the little marsupial wasn’t actually dead. 

 

Picture Credit : Google