An Amusing Look at How Opossums Grow Up to Play Dead

In a tonic episode of his True Facts series, narrator Ze Frank provides an amusing look at the lifecycle of an American opossum, noting that playing dead is an involuntary catatonic defense mechanism that fools predators of all kinds. In fact, the term “playing possum” comes from this very act, although it is not limited to just opossums.

These animals aren’t playing or pretending, though. This is an involuntary reflex. It’s not really in their control. They stop moving, often in a contorted or death like pose, unresponsive, and this lasts for seconds or up to an hour.