eli5: What exactly happens when animals (for example opossums) play dead? Are they aware of their surroundings during this time and how long does it last?

Question

eli5: What exactly happens when animals (for example opossums) play dead? Are they aware of their surroundings during this time and how long does it last?

In: 15

Answer 1

Rotting meat is deadly and eating it is a good way to get seriously sick. So a lot of predators aren’t willing to eat a random corpse unless they are the one who killed it.

So by “playing dead” (this often includes releasing a scent similar to that of decay and rotten meat) you can fool a predator into leaving you alone.