Animals that pretend to be dead

[Catherine]

It seems that a number of species of animals pretend to be dead as a defence mechanism. Some are very dramatic about it.


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/...r-science/

I have Hognose snakes and even knowing that they do this does not prepare you for the sight of your snake pretending to die. I came home and found my female on her back dead. I was stunned until I noticed that her tongue was twitching. She was fine and came out of it after I picked her up.

The Hognose snakes are small so it is probably the best way to survive in a world of larger predators.