Playing Dead

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “play possum”, you may know it means to feign death. It’s real thing. Possums do it, as do sharks, ants, and a multitude of other animals. It’s a defense mechanisms shaped by evolution.

Evolution Talk is also a book! You can find links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others on the front page of EvolutionTalk.com, or call your local bookstore and ask them to order a copy.

Works Cited

Dublin. “Jaws Theme!!” YouTube, 24 Aug. 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4.

Humphreys, Rosalind K., and Graeme D. Ruxton. “A Review of Thanatosis (Death Feigning) as an Anti-predator Behaviour.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, vol. 72, no. 2, Springer Science+Business Media, Jan. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-017-2436-8.

Lee, Robin. “8 Spiders That Play Dead (& Facts You Should Know).” ThePetEnthusiast, 19 Feb. 2023, thepetenthusiast.com/types-of-spiders-that-play-dead.

Maxwell, Krishna. “Playing Possum: 9 Animals That Play Dead to Survive.” AZ Animals, June 2023, a-z-animals.com/blog/playing-possum-9-animals-that-play-dead-to-survive.

Peterson, Christine. “Many Animals Play Dead—and Not Just to Avoid Getting Eaten.” Animals, 4 May 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/many-animals-play-dead-not-just-to-avoid-predators.

Stachurski, John. “Avoiding Death by Feigning Death.” Current Biology, vol. 28, no. 19, Elsevier BV, Oct. 2018, pp. R1135–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.07.070.

“Tonic Immobility.” The Shark Trust, www.sharktrust.org/tonic-immobility.

WB Kids. “Eh… What’s Up Doc? | Looney Tuesdays | WB Kids.” YouTube, 19 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV7UNLqtqpQ.

Music in this Episode Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology news

“I will be using some of these podcasts for my high school students. ”

“Intelligent, informative, & insightful.”

Apple Podcast Review