why does playing dead work to avoid getting attacked by brown bears? Wouldn’t they want to eat you more if they thought you were dead and thus couldn’t fight back?

Question

why does playing dead work to avoid getting attacked by brown bears? Wouldn’t they want to eat you more if they thought you were dead and thus couldn’t fight back?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You’re only supposed to play dead after the attack has already begun. This let’s them think the fight is over and *hopefully* prevent further mauling. It is not meant to be used to *prevent* an attack.