The Surprising Reason Why Animals Play Dead
play possum: to pretend to be dead or asleep
Have you ever been so scared that you just froze? Animals do this, too, when they’re afraid or in danger. Imagine you’re a possum, and a big animal tries to eat you. What would you do? Some possums play dead to escape. This is where the English expression ‘playing possum‘ comes from.
Many animals play possum for different reasons. Some birds or mice will freeze when a cat attacks, hoping it will lose interest. Some fish play possum to catch food. They lay on the ground, looking dead. When a small fish comes near, they quickly eat it. Some spiders even play possum to avoid being eaten by potential mates.
In the videos below, see how one dog plays possum to avoid getting his nails clipped and how a pet squirrel plays possum to get attention.
Sample sentences
1. My little brother loves playing possum until I tickle him, and then he starts laughing.
2. Everyone thought the bank robber who jumped out of the plane and disappeared must have died, but he was actually playing possum.
3. At the company’s annual talent show, I caught Mike backstage playing possum, hoping he wouldn’t be called up next.