Playing dead for a possum isn't a choice — it's an involuntary shutdown
When a Virginia opossum is seriously threatened, it can collapse into a near-catatonic 'playing dead' state: eyes glazed, tongue out, body limp, even releasing a foul-smelling fluid from its anal glands to mimic a rotting carcass. It isn't a deliberate decision; the opossum's body enters this state involuntarily and can stay in it for minutes to hours, unresponsive even to being poked or moved. Many predators lose interest in prey that already appears dead and decomposing.